Wonderful day for the team racing competition! Yesterday’s activities began earlier than usual, with the coaches meeting at 8:30 and the launch of the boats by 9:00, after which competitors sailed to Falmouth Harbour, the bay next to English Harbour, where the facilities of the Antigua Yacht Club are. The race areas were located right in front of the club, very near the jetty so that fans had a chance to watch the races in both courses.
In the Optimist North American Championships every year (as well as in the South American Championship), the team racing event comprises two parallel championships: the North American Team Racing Championship for teams from North American countries, and the Nations Cup, for sailors from non North American countries. Each country is allowed to enter a maximum of three teams, which qualify according to the accumulated points of each competitor in the individual races. The format consists of matches between two teams, and the teams that lose 2 of these matches go home. Teams that do not lose any race or lose only one continue racing until all of the other teams have gone home. In the end there is a final of two or three races between these two teams, and the one who wins two of the races becomes champion.
Yesterday there were 12 teams in the North American Championship (USA 1, USA 2, USA 3, ISV, BER, MEX 1, IVB, ANT, PUR, CAN 1, CAN 2, MEX 2) and 13 in the Nations Cup (ARG 1, BRA 1, CHI 1, BRA 2, NZL, ARG 2, BRA 3, SUI, PER, AUS, ARG 3, JPN, CHI 2).
In the North American Team Racing event, the teams that arrived at the finals were USA 1, after winning the races against Antigua, US Virgin Islands and USA 2; and USA 2, who first won the races against Canada 1 and Mexico 1, then lost to USA 1, and later won the matches against Bermuda and Mexico 1. In the finals, USA 2 was beaten by USA 1 without the need to sail a third match.
Stephan Baker, Vanessa Lahrkamps, Mateo Farina, Michaela O’Brien and Colleen O’Brien became the new North American Team Race Champions!! Congratulations!
Congratulations also go to Micael Burns, Javier Garcon, Adam Larson, Enzo Menditto and Joey Meagher, members of USA 2; and to Alex Torres Rinaldelli, Renee Galicia Martínez, Karla Beatriz Martínez Oviedo, Triana Cornejo González, María José Porter Mollo, members of team MEX 1, who finished in third place. It is worth mentioning that this is the best result the country have obtained in a team racing event in several years.
In the Nations Cup the finals had Chile 1 and Australia fight for the title. Chile 1 were the first to reach the final stage after beating Argentina 3, Brazil 3 and Argentina 1. Australia lost their first race against Brazil 3, but they grew stronger after that and won the matches against Argentina 3, Suiza, Argentina 1 and Peru. In the finals they lost the first two races but all in all it was an excellent performance. Well done Australia!!
Congratulations to Benjamin Fuenzalida, Sebastian Fuenzalida, Santiago Lorca, Andres Tessada and José Cardemil, members of team CHI 1!!
Team Members
Results Nations Cup
Results North American Championship
Photos © Matías Capizzano: http://www.capizzano.com/optinam-2016/
Event contact email address: amneris.calle@gmail.com, opticlass@yachtclub.ag