Recap 23rd and 24th Final from World's

July 23 will go down as a day to remember for the Opti sailors at this year's
2012 World's. Team Bermuda arrived at the venue around 8:30 am in anticipation
of a 10:30 am start. However, they did not get out on the water until closer
to 11:00 am and then the wait. It was over two hours before the first race got
started and then there were no other races for the day. As a result, the
coaches, parents, as well as country officials were understandably upset at
the way the day had unfolded especially since there was a point during the
morning were the fifth race could have been sailed, the fifth race was a
carryover from the previous day's racing when only one fleet was able to
complete their racing. For some sailors, they did not get to sail one race on
the 23 Jully 2012 despite being on the water all day.



Recap of 23 July 2012
Antonio started his race fast and sailed from the right side of the course
trying to keep pace with the fleet. He experienced a wind shift from the left
and from that point on he did not have an opportunity to get back to the right
side. He finished the race in 41st position.

Makai was not able to start on the first row and as a result he lost a few
boats right at the start. However, later in the race Makai was able to pick-up
another wind shift from the right which allowed him to catch a few boats
thereby placing him in 26th at the finish.

Chase did not get to sail.

Peter started at the pin end and continued to sail on the left side of the
course. Peter had a few good opportunities to catch and pass boats which he
did. Peter rounded the top mark in the top twenty and was going well. During
the last up wind Peter lost a few boats but was able to finish a creditable
top twenty.

Rory also started at the pin end of the course and was sailing well. He
rounded the top and windward mark in 8th place. Unfortunately for Rory, he
experienced a wind shift from the left which did not swing back and caused him
to lose a lot of boats. Rory ended the race in 29th position.

July 24, 2012

Tuesday ushered in a new waive of thinking. The Race Committee had heard the
feedback and had experienced the frustration of the coaches at the coaches
meeting that was held this morning. Clearly, a change was needed and a change
was had as the IODA race officer, with the agreement of the local Race
Officer, took control of the situation and ran the days races. A new strategy
was employed whereby the sailors would not be sent out until the R/C had set
the line and the Windward mark. This change in process met with overwhelming
support from the participants and supporters.

By end of today's racing, the R/C had ran two complete rounds of racings in
similar conditions as was experienced yesterday.

Antonio stared the day knowing he had to do something to improve his overall
position. As a result Antonio got off to a good start in race 6 but soon lost
the line as his boat speed was not enough to keep pace with the rest of the
fleet. He was playing the shifts but with the lack of boat speed it was not
enough to get him back in the race. He ended race 6 in 47. In race 7 it was
much the same for Antonio as he was trying everything he could to keep up. His
start was good but his boat speed was not there and soon lost the fleet. He
sailed as best as he could, but the smaller as well as lighter sailors were
just too hard to pull back. He finished in 37th position.

In Makai first race, he fell from the line early in the race and was not able
to recover. He played a few wind shifts but as the race progressed his options
were quickly running out . In the end Makai had to settle for 38th. In Makai's
second race he got off to a good start and was sailing with the fleet. He
rounded the top mark in the top half of the fleet. He continued to do good but
lost a few boats on the last up wind ending up in 23rd.

Chase started his first race at the Race Committee boat. Chase was able to
read the shifts and was doing well. At the top mark he was in the top 15 and
then he picked-up a few boats on the second up wind and ended in 12th. In
Chase's second race Chase was in a good position at the start and was sailing
with the fleet. He was doing well until the second up wind which he played too
much to the right and as a result Chase lost a lot of boats and ended up in
42nd position.

In Peter's first race Peter did not get off to a good start. He started at the
Race Committee boat, which had paid off for him during his previous two races,
but this time he fell back early. Peter played a few shifts but could not
catch the fleet and ended up in 48th. In Peter's second race he continued his
pattern and started at the Race Committee boat. He decided to go way right and
was doing Ok until he experienced a wind shift from the left and unfortunately
he was not able to recover. Peter ended the race in 39th.

In Rory's first race he started in the middle of the start line but fell
behind right from the start. Nonetheless, after his first tack he was able to
catch up and pass boats. Rory played the left and was able to round the mark
in the top 15. In his last up wind, Rory lost a few boats and ended in 20th.
In his second start Rory started close to the pin. He experienced a right wind
shift and was struggling to catch the fleet until the last few minutes of the
up wind. Rory rounded the top mark in 20th position a placement he was able to
maintain for the reminder of the race.

Tomorrow marks the last day of racing and the R/C is going to try and get in
two more races before the close of day. In an effort to ensure this happens,
an amendment to the Sailing Instructions has been made to extend racing until
4:00 pm.

Despite the challenges of the past week of racing, the team remains in high
spirits and have been good sportsmen. They are ready to finish the regatta on
a high note as all of them have expressed the desire to fight to the bitter
end. Today's update will be the last update from the Dominican Republic. I
hope the comments and colour has provided you with a bit more than what you
would have been able to see on the tracking. The comments are a combination of
coach Martin Jenkins and Anthony.

Report from Team Leader Anthony Bailey

20 July 2012    

In the first race Rory started at the pin end of the line. His start was reasonable but he had to try to work himself into the fleet. From his starting position Rory was not able to find enough clean air to keep touch with the rest of the fleet. As a result he found himself finishing near the back end of the fleet.

Antonio started mid fleet but dropped the line of the fleet when he tacked to the right as he searched for clean air. This move would turnout to be a good move has Antonio found himself in a competitive position. Unfortunately as he was gaining on the fleet the race was abandoned. In the second start, of the same race, Antonio’s start was not as good as his first but he was able to get clean air as he headed to the right. This allowed him to stay with the fleet but unfortunately he started to drop boats and end mid fleet.

Makai had a good start in the first race however he too was impacted by the cancellation of the first race, Makai was sitting in the top 15 when the race was cancelled.  In the second start Makai fell back early in the race but managed to cross the fleet in a good position from the left. In the second up wind he started to play the right of the course and managed to pick-up boats as a result. This move enabled Makai to finish in the top twenty.

Peter had an excellent start and was able to sail with the fleet. However, when the knock came this proved to be his undoing as the people below him started to tack and when Peter tacked he found himself below the fleet. From that point on Peter’s boat speed started to slow and caused him to lose places as boats from the right and left started to cross him. Peter finished back of the fleet..

Chase started close the Race Committee (R/C) and found himself in the first row of the start. Chase decided to play the left side of the course and was doing Ok. What proved to be an issue for him was the fact that the first mark started to drift. The R/C decided to substitute a R/C boat  for the mark, however, Chase was not able to discern what flag was being flown from the R/C boat and instead of heading for the R/C boat he headed towards the drifting mark, which at this time was under tow. In the end Chase ended up near the back of the fleet.

In Chase’s second race he started in the same position as his first but instead of a first row start he was second row. This forced Chase to tack and sail on the right side of the course. He experienced a left wind shift which prevented him from having a good crossing. A storm started to approach the race area just as Chase was sailing the downwind stage of the race. With the onset of the storm came the first of two wind shifts each of which would have different affect on the rest of Chase’s race. The first enabled Chase to catch a few boats but with the second wind shift caused him to lose the boats he had gained.

Team Racing 21 July 2012

In the first race Bermuda faced the Swiss (SUI). Bermuda started slow and the Swidd took control. As a result the team decided to go for positions where SUI could be pushed back to 7 and 8 positions. At the first mark Bermuda was still trying to gain control by implementing the mark drops. As a result Team Bermuda was able to force the SUI team back and Bermuda was able to prevail as they (Bermuda) pushed the SUI back to 7 and 8.

In race two Bermuda faced Turkey. Bermuda started the race with penalties. These penalties put the team at an immediate disadvantage causing them to employ the same tactics as the pervious race, however, when approaching the top mark Bermuda suffered yet another penalty forcing the team back into 8. On the reach and downwind the team tried to recover and was gaining ground however once again the jury penalized the team thereby ending any hopes of winning. Albeit the race did not turn out as hoped, the team fought right to the end leaving no room for a Turkey mistake.

In the last race against Portugal, the team got off to a slow start and once more had to employ the 7 and 8 mode in an effort to win. The team had one sailor trapped in the 8 position, and was gunning for the other Portugal sailor who they needed to pin into 7. During the last upwind Team Bermuda’s plan looked to be working as they pinned two of the Portugal sailors into 7 and 8 position. However, a missed opportunity by the on water jury ended any hopes of a Bermuda win. Instead of awarding Team Bermuda a call, they assessed a call against Bermuda and there was no time to recover. Once more the team went down fighting but in this last race, the Team was really sat back by an error.

Although the team did not progress to the final rounds, the fighting spirit and never say never attitude was evident and put on display at every opportunity.

Team Racing Info for Today

Bermuda to face Switzerland (SUI) first in the team racing today.

Seeding

Grids

Day 4 Photos

Race Day 4

Despite an earlier start in an effort to make up races lost due to storms over the last couple of days, once again the unsettled stormy conditions, resulted in only one more race completed for all 4 divisions.

The sailors from Singapore continue to dominate, taking the first three places on the leader board. Chasing them was Max Clapp (GBR), who moved up to fourth place overall with a win in the green division.

Saturday will be the start of the World Optimist Team Racing Championship which will be held on the shallow waters of the lagoon just in front of the club. Singapore, the current World Champions will hope to dominate again but this will not be easy as they are likely to be challenged by several strong teams, particularly from South America.

Day 4 Youtube Video

Bermuda Results after 4 Races:

Antonio 139th <45, 26, 25, 41>

Rory 140th < 18, 28, 42, 50 >

Chase 163 <32, 36, 43, 43>

Makai 186 <OCS, 44, 47, 18>

Peter 189 <37, 34, 54, 45>

Race Day 3

http://www.optiworlds2012.org/ : Day 3 at the Opti Worlds 2012 with one race sailed for all groups. The weather was too shifty due to the storms that were passing by. See the full action here!
Youtube video Day 3

No Racing on Day 2

Day 2 Youtube Update

No racing on Day 2 due to bad weather.  Bermuda results after 2 races on Day 1:
Rory 90th (18,28)
Chase 140th (32, 36)
Antonio 144th (45, 26)
Peter 147th (37,34)
Makia 211th (OCS, 44)

Day 1 Video Update

Day 1 Youtube Video

Rory 90th (18,28)
Chase 140th (32, 36)
Antonio 144th (45, 26)
Peter 147th (37,34)
Makia 211th (OCS, 44)

First Day of Racing 17 July 2012

First day of Racing

Today marked the first day of racing for this year's World's 2012 which also
marks the 50th anniversary of regatta. The racing conditions were right as the
sailors lined up to race under what would be a new racing format. Under the
new format, the racing fleets are changed at the end of each day's racing. In
addition, for the first time in recent memory IODA has implemented a one drop
regatta. There are a total of 12 races planned.

Race one featured Makai and Chase racing in the Yellow fleet; Race two
featured Rory and Peter racing in the Blue fleet; Race three featured Antonio
racing in the Red fleet.

In race one Makai was scored an OCS and according to team coach Martine, Makai
was marginally over the line. From the start Makai went left which placed him
near the top twenty in his fleet a position he would maintain for the race
however, the OCS was his final score.

In the second race, Makai got off to a reasonable start; however, he lost the
line of boats and slipped to mid fleet; and finished back of the fleet.

In Chase's first race had a good start but did not stay with the fleet. He
rounded the top mark mid fleet and maintained this position to the reach mark.

Rory was the most consistent of the Bermuda sailors today. In the his first
race, Rory sat at the Pin End of the line where he had clean air and managed
to get off to a good start. He headed left and was well placed in the top 10
around the first mark. However, he slipped back on the downwind and the last
upwind to finish in the top twenty. In the second race Rory also got off to a
start. Once again he headed left however, this time the wind had shifted
making the left more challenging. He rounded the top mark in the top 20 and as
the race progressed he lost a few more boats causing him to end up in the mid
twenties

Peter who is sailing in his first World's had good starts but lacked the
acceleration that would have kept him with the fleet as a result Peter
finished back of the fleet in both races. Coach Martin felt that Peter was
playing the right when the left side was a bit better than the right.

Antonio had a bad start in both of his races. It was not clear if having two
Black Flag starts was the cause of this. However, in his first race, he was
unable to recover from having a slow start and ended up back of the fleet. In
the second race, Antonio dug deep to pull back a few boats to finish in the
top thirty. Coach Martine felt that Antonio lacked acceleration off the line.

Note: Results may change owing to Protests.

Practice Race Monday

The practice race was held yesterday in steady winds of 12 knots from the South, on a wavy sea beneath a shiny blue sky. These seem to be the average sailing conditions and it is expected that sailors (and the Race Committee) will enjoy a championship without postponements or abandonment due to bad weather.

Most of the teams have gone through measurement and the final list of competitors and the allocation to fleets for the first day of races has been published. View it here. Tracking will be offered since the first official race tomorrow. Follow the races here.

The first official race will be sailed on July 17. You will be able to follow all of the races live via the tracking viewers, on our tracking page. Bookmark the link below!

http://www.optiworld.org/MiniSite/12Worlds/index.php

You'll find links to results, entries and relevant documentation on the same page.

More links to follow the championship:

IODA Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/optiworld

Organisers website: http://www.optiworlds2012.org/

Practice Day 4

Yesterday everyone was geared up and ready for the pre-worlds regatta except for the wind. It was light and oscillating from side to side throughout the morning. Racing was postponed for an hour. Sailors took to the water to more or less float around and practice unwinds while they waited for the course to be set. In the meantime a wicked thunderstorm built up and rolled in around 2pm and racing was abandoned as the heavens opened up and everyone scrambled for shore.
Organizers were disappointed of course, as the previous 3-4 days have been idyllic. We returned to the hotel earlier than normal and the kids ran around seeing friends and playing CIA games supposedly. Early to bed as well getting them more ready for the racing that lies ahead.
Hopefully today will bring steadier winds and the kids can get some racing in....

Practice Day 3

These lead up days have been fairly similar. The breeze was a bit lighter yesterday but basically still mid wind maybe a little lighter as the day goes on. Each day they train for a bout 3-4 hours joining up with other teams and doing some small races. More countries arrive every day, still missing are USA, GBR, FRA, ITA, JPN, GRE but not many more than that and we are still 5 days away from the first official race. The atmosphere has been very relaxing and teams are all on different schedules so the Club doesn't seem too crowded, yet.

Today is day one of the the two day pre-worlds regatta. Not sure how many countries are entered  but Martin would like to see how they are sailing and have an opportunity to tweak anything over the weekend if necessary.

Everyone is healthy and well and not too sunburned!

Practice Day 2

Another beautiful day down here. Very hot but the breeze helps. The breeze is staying pretty much in the 12-14 knot range and dropping off as the afternoon goes on. With the dropping breeze the waves become more noticeable and a couple sailors felt a little seasick but nothing too bad. BER trained with a few teams yesterday and all felt they are sailing fairly well. Almost half the teams are here now with many more arriving each day. The Club is definitely filling up. It will be interesting to see how crowded it is on the weekend as I understand that is when most of the locals come down from Santo Domingo but for the now the kids are very happy and thoroughly enjoying the venue. We decided with a few sensitive stomachs to eat at the Club out on the gazebo last night. That way we could order a basic arroz con pollo (chicken with rice) for those who needed some bland food rather than take our chances with the hotel food.
Thursday and Friday is the Pre-Worlds regatta which I would imagine will be well-attended and a nice chance for the kids to see how they match up after 3 days of practice.

Practice Day 1

Yesterday was fantastic by all accounts. The Club Nautico Santo Domingo is beautiful and the kids loved the pool and the slide in the sea. Martin had set our boats and equipment aside already so all that was left was to rig up and get on the water. Lunches are part of the entry so they were right there at the Club ready to go when we needed them. After a quick bite they went out and sailed for about three hours. Conditions were middle wind without too much swell. Martin felt the Scotia Bank regatta helped everyone and that they were quick to get to the groove. More importantly they are all feeling confident and seem to have a good mental state about the event.

The team arrived safely after long delays in Miami. First with a maintenance issue, then an electrical storm and finally sitting on the plane on the runway for almost two hours while beverages were delivered!
We were met inside the airport by a regatta rep who collected our passports and forms and whisked us right through effortlessly. A very quick van ride and we were here. It is the same place the team stayed in 2009 just under a different name.
We got settled easily with Makai, Antonio and Chase in one room and Peter and Rory in another. Plenty of space for all. Had dinner, which although filled with variety was by no means fantastic but more than adequate.
Plenty of teams here already, ARG, BRA, PER, CHI, SWE, SUI, NED and NZL. Monday will be boat prep and a trip to the supermarket. Then lunch at the Club and a long afternoon sail.

Worlds Team Ready!

The 2012 Bermuda Worlds Team is preparing to depart on Sunday July 8th to participate in the 2012 IODA World Championships in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.  The team (L-R) Chase Cooper, Peter Dill, Rory Caslin, Makai Joell and Antonio Bailey will have a number of days to train in local waters with Coach Martin Jenkins before the opening ceremony on July 15th.

Many thanks to Gold Sponsor  - Aspen Insurance, Silver Sponsor - Kitson Group of Companies and uniform sponsor Digicel for their support.

Final 2012 SudOpti wrap up

Day started bright with crisp air and a steady breeze of 18-20 knots. Two races were scheduled. Martin pointed out how important it is to finish strongly and make each race important in its own right. As expected Rory' size was an advantage in the bigger breeze and he had his best two races of the regatta finishing with a 7 and 8 for an overall place of 45. The stronger wind set Mikey back a bit finishing 29th in both races, he finished 54 overall and had a great regatta. Ceci again rounded the top mark of both races in a top position but couldn't hold it through the finish. She had a 21 and a 13 for an overall spot of 73. Chase, although the neck injury had begun to improve, with a long flight ahead and the stronger breeze, the decision sadly was to sit the last day out. He finished 112th. Benn did have better starts but his inexperience in large fleets was his downfall. It is much easier to read the course when it is occupied by 20 sailors then when sailing in fleets of 50+. He finished with a 38 and a 32 for an very respectable 122 for his first IODA showing.

USA dominated the results. Overall winner, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th and 11th as well as 1, 2, 3 in the Nations Cup. Peruvian Renzo Sanguineti was South American Champion finishing in 6th. Gold Cup sailor Odile Van Aanholt was top girl and 4th overall.

The Bermuda team did well. Definitely missed out on chances but Martin sees much potential in this group and is keen to see the sailors minimize the small mistakes so that the results will improve.

Outside of some unusual choices of music to accompany the awards, the Closing ceremony was quite beautiful set out on the lawn in front of the Club. A short reception followed then back to the hotel for the last bit of trading before calling it a night.

A nice tourist day in and around the city, one last delicious ice cream and off to the airport we go. Adios Argentina!

Bernews Article here

SA Champion and Winner of South American Championship

Closing Ceremony

Bumper boats

Lay Day and Day Four Racing

The lay day brought more sunshine after a thrashing evening rainstorm with hail and high winds that actually saw 15 deaths in the city and western part of Buenos Aires. A late night party ensued following the unusual mid-regatta prize giving for Team Racing. A bit of a bus mix-up, actually the drivers were on the dance floor, left us not back in our beds until close to midnight. So a lazy start to the lay day was definitely in order!

Once up and moving the plan was firmly established and a train ride to the Parque de la Costa along with the AHO team was set. A quick bite at a small cafe with 'submarino' drinks, hot milk with a melted chocolate bar! Delicious!! Not enough tourists so train was cancelled which was too bad as the train seemed to add to the adventure. Anyway the Parque was filled with tons of rides and all thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was nice to disconnect from sailing and run around and have fun. Bought churros filled with dulce de leche to close the day, there is no shortage of sugary treats here. Dinner at the Club and back for an early night.

Cooler temperatures and a bit more wind to start Day four. Wind was around 7 building to not much more than 12 by day's end. Organizers had scheduled two races for today. Conditions saw the current play a factor along with puffy breezes. Although the team's results were not terrible, they were however a disappointment as all the sailors did not capitalize on some very strong positions rounding the top mark. Both Ceci and Mikey rounded the top mark with top 10s which was a result of excellent starts and strong upwind legs. Ben struggled a bit to get in a good starting position which made it difficult for him to see strong races. Rory had a nice race one but struggled like the others to retain his position throughout race 2.

Chase has had an injury and sadly is unable to finish the regatta. He has seen a wonderful Dr here which was arranged by the organization and has a bad neck spasm which is causing him discomfort and some immobility. Such a shame as he was having a decent showing here.

Tomorrow is the last day and once again two races are scheduled. We are hoping that the strengths of today will prevail tomorrow.

Team Race Prep - Photos by Capizzano

Ceci

Team Bermuda place 4/5 in Nations Cup

Much to celebrate today! Team racing was a huge success! Wind was back and the breeze fluctuated throughout but was fairly consistent in the 8-12 range. Bermuda placed in the 4/5 spot which brought many smiles. One sailor said it was the first Team race win that they had ever had. First up was Ecuador 3 which was a good warm up and an easy win. Next USA 3, which BER controlled throughout and with one tactical slip, the lead was lost and the win went to the USA. Then a win over MEX pitted Bermuda over URU. A tough fight but BER came out victorious once again setting us up for another go at the USA. Unfortunately they gave us our second loss. When we left the venue USA had beaten CAN and all 3 USA teams were battling it out for the 1,2 and 3 positions. BER finished 3-2. The team was never thoroughly outmatched and could have easily been in the 1,2, 3 spot today.

The team sailed well and considering the lack of TR success recently and time working on Team Racing this group showed much promise. Even those who claim to hate TR were happy today. Another stop to the ice cream shop to celebrate, a well deserved treat. There are many great things about Argentina but the ice cream is one of the best!

Lay day tomorrow then two more days of fleet racing. Team will go into Friday with a bit more confidence after today as well.

Benn

Racing Day 3 update

Well....this was one of those days. Winds were light. No more than 4-5 knots all day. This makes for the third day of these trying and tricky conditions. The lack of concentration, which is so vital when the wind is light, was clearly evident and plagued the team today. Thankfully they only held two races.

Mikey had a solid first race. Chase made many mistakes in Race 1 and ended up 43rd. Ceci and Rory had decent first races and Benn remained in the 30s. The second race was an unfortunate one for Mikey who was OCS although the score does not reflect this yet. Ceci and Rory had terrible races and Benn who is capable of better again finished in the 30s. Chase seemed to hold it together in race 2 and finished in 7th.

Overall scores now see Mikey in 30 (pre OCS adjustment) Chase 58, Rory 60, Ceci 93 and Benn 117. Light winds forecast again for tomorrow for Team Racing then lay day and HOPEFULLY the last days of the regatta will have more breeze and the team can finish strong.

Race Day 3

Cloud cover, cooler temperatures and light winds greeted us this morning. Off to the venue at 8.30 to see the new fleet assignments. IODA has changed the format and sailors are divided into 3 divisions rather than 6 and stay sailing against the same fleet throughout the day. The organizers forgot to add the drop so fleet assignments had to be changed at the last minute once the drop was taken into account. As always the drop mixes things up. Sean Brennan and Romain from the US still dominate in 1 and 2 with 11 and 12 pts respectively. BER sailors for the most part benefited with the drop. Mikey is now in 25, Chase in 51, Rory in 61, Ceci in 79 and Benn in 117. Today Chase and Benn are in red, Rory and Mikey yellow and Ceci blue. There has been talk of only two races today but I am not sure.

Yesterday's sailing saw Mikey with two top 10s, Chase with all top 20s. Ceci improved her day with a 6 in Race 1 which brought a big smile to her face. Long days on the water! They have shifted dinner forward which is nice because sometimes it was a long wait between the end of racing until dinner. Kids usually head to the playground for about a half hour before coming in for dinner. Seems to be a nice way to forget the day and relax. We have also discovered a little place on the way home that makes empanadas to take out in a matter of minutes. These are a favourite of everyone on the team. They come in many flavours but the most popular are jamon y queso and carne or ham and cheese and meat. Kids devour these on the way home while making friends with neighboring cars on the way home.

Start of Race Day 3

Mikey

Chase

Racing Day One

Today was a good start for Team Bermuda!
Mikey was on fire! He finished the day in 19th with 2 out of 3 races in the top 10. Rory sailed very consistently, keeping himself in the top 25 all day. Chase had 2 good races and finished the last in the top 10 only to find an OCS once ashore. Benn at his first IODA event had two excellent races and was quite pleased as he should be. A scare of an OCS in Race 1 was merely a confusion of PER 1324 vs BER 1324. Ceci started the day with an OCS and ended the day with a disappointing last race. During the 2nd race she was top 10 but was caught on the wrong side of the shift.
Sailors were under the i-flag all day and started the day with about 8-9 finishing closer to 5 knots by day's end. USA dominated all day but also got caught out with a number of OCS. Argentina is also doing well showing hometown advantage under tricky conditions. Forecast today is for stronger breezes around 13-15 knots.
Bermuda-
Mikey 19
Rory 38
Chase 92
Benn 100
Ceci 134

Sailors heading out....

Benn raising BER flag

Fri/Sat

Friday...
Well rested after the lay day, Chase and Benn were especially eager to get out on the water and give their new sails a try before measurement. Wind was between 8-12 knots which is what is normal for this time of year. There has been no shortage of crisp blue sky and bountiful sunshine. Kids got a good but shortened practice in so as to prepare for the Opening Ceremony. As seen in the photos the location was very a beautiful spot overlooking the river. Sailors paraded alphabetically in Spanish, which is why Antilles Hollandes(Netherlands Antilles) started us off. A short walk through the vast property and everyone was seated around the podium. Mikey carried the Bermuda sign, Benn raised the flag and Chase accepted a plaque given out by Gonzalo Bisi and Nacho Varisco both Club Nautico San Isidro members and past South American Champions. The plaque given to each delegation contains a note written in the 1925 by Sir William Burton outlining the importance of sportsmanship. A massive cocktail style party ended the celebrations with all the sailors mingling and running about or hunting down the waitresses to get their fill of delicious empanadas and pizza. Early to bed although the Practice Race was not set to start before 2pm, breakfast was at 7.30 and it was time to get more used to the early start.

Saturday...
8-12knots again. Coaches briefing at 11am followed by launching at 1pm. A bit of scatter action for many today as final stickers were applied, last tidbits of measurement, a test trial for trackers and anchors were missing but the Race Committee finally did get off the race off. Seemed a bit chaotic. Normally the fleet is divided by number into odds and evens however there were three starts this time with the majority of the fleet in the third. No one pays any real mind to the outcome but the solid favorites today were clearly the USA with many sailors in the top.

BER has the 7pm dinner time alongside MEX, URU, USA and AHO. Again all the countries were mixed together and dinner was a very nice piece of roasted chicken, french fries and salad followed by jello with apple bits. Quick debrief with Martin and lights out at nine.

Big day tomorrow.....

Capizzano photos of the Opening Ceremony

Thursday

30 Flavours!

Dinner with MEX and AHO

Moving Out :(

Ice Cream!

THURSDAY
Today the light winds arrived. Actually it was forecast for 1-2 knots so Team Bermuda opted for a lay day. We had a lazy morning enjoying our last moments of luxury before checking out. Then off to a very large shopping center called Unicenter. It had three floors of stores, a movie theatre, bowling lanes and small arcade. We opted for a game of bowling then some time in the arcade. All good fun. The kids even convinced Martin to go on the "mini-samba" which I believe he may have regretted but the kids loved it. The ride was a large dish that shook and spun to samba music for about 3-5 minutes.
After the shopping center we found a fabulous ice cream place that had over 30 different flavours of ice cream that was then shaped into a long cone, dipped in chocolate and quickly frozen into a hard outer shell. You could pick two different flavours of ice cream for your cone as well. There was fruit flavours, assorted chocolates and a dulce de leche either super or plain but I did not manage to determine the difference.
Then it was time to head to the official accommodation Circulo Militar about 15 minutes from the venue. Quite the contrast to the hotel but clean and comfortable. The alternate accommodations at the Club have anywhere from about 8-12 in a room all in triple bunks stacked on opposing walls in a very small space with a shared bathroom. At Circulo Militar, we have two rooms. The boys are in a room which has two rooms in it. Chase, Benn and Mikey are in one and Rory and Martin in the other. Both rooms have tvs, ceiling fans and/or AC and they share a bathroom. Rooms are small but adequate. Ceci and I have a room to ourselves with a bathroom. However we have the hardest mattresses ever, honestly. It is only a smidgen better than sleeping on the floor with a yoga mat. My project today after the kids go out is to rectify this!!! On our floor is URU, USA, AHO and us.
Back to the Club for dinner, we luckily got assigned the 6.30 time as opposed to the 8 pm time and the kids shared a big table with MEX and AHO. Nice to see the teams mingling so easily. Dinner was very nice gnocchi with a pink sauce and a dish of ice cream, not that we needed more but all enjoyed having it again. We have table service as well which is nice as it affords the teams more socializing time.
Friday we will go out for practice, forecast is for about 5-8, warms temps and plentiful sunshine, then off the Opening Ceremony later in the evening.

Wednesday update

Another beautiful day in Buenos Aires, however the typical light breezes have yet to appear as today makes the 3rd day in a row of winds above a steady 15 knots and creeping close to the 20 knot mark. Temperatures rose as the afternoon wore on and there was no shortage of sunshine.
We were first up for measurement this morning and outside of a few minor hiccups we breezed right through. Everyone's boat but Ceci's was too light and organizers had 20 gram wooden blocks that could be caulked on the inside of the bow to make up for the shortage, boats ranged from 20-80g light. The venue is now all a buzz as more countries have arrived, for us being here early means we are already measured and settled into our surroundings which is great.
After some delicious hamburgers at the Club, the kids went out to train. There was a single race organizers had put on around 3.30 and BER sailed in that with a bunch of other countries. It was shifty and although all sailed well, it was Mikey that finished with a top 10. Martin has seen improvement from all each day as they become more confident with the understanding of the conditions.
Kids are loving the short ride home in the back of the truck each day. They wave and call out "hola" to everyone they see. Tonight sadly is our last night in the charming and comfortable Hotel Del Casco. There are mixed reports coming from those already ensconced in the official accommodation so we will have to wait and see what is in store for us!!
Tomorrow is forecast for lighter winds and warmer temperatures so far the only reliable info as been the temperatures so no one is sure when the seasonal light winds will arrive.

Tow Home

Heading Out

Day Two

Yesterday brought with it some morning sunshine and a fresh breeze. Forecast was for somewhere around 15 which is a bit unexpected at this time of year. We had a lovely Continental breakfast to start and went on to the Club. The main part of the regatta is at the back end of the property. There is a small restaurant and a large boat park where the lockers are and where the boats are stationed. Considering the size of the Club this set-up keeps all the sailors in one location which is great.
Kids went out around midday and unfortunately due to an impending squall they sailed for about 2 hrs and then came in for hot chocolate. Temperatures had dropped as well. After the squall passed they went out again now with less breeze, it had reached close to 20 before the squall, and sailed until about 5.30pm.
Another nice dinner and some famous Argentinian ice cream and all were ready to call it a night.
Forecast is for even cooler today with a high near 62. It should warm up by Thursday.
Hard to tell how many full teams are here as most seem to be arriving in little packs. Some BRA, some URU, some ECU. I think the full CAN team arrived yesterday along with PER. still not here is MEX, AHO, BAH and the majority of the USA team.
Tomorrow there is a day regatta scheduled for all those here and wanting to take part.
Everything has been well organized and the team is in great spirits!

Photos of  Hotel Del Casco

Day One

CAN/BER Locker

Team BER has arrived!

Team Bermuda has arrived at their destination and is getting settled prior to getting on the water for some practice.  Here is a photo of the host club, Club Nautico San Isidro.

Club Nautico San Isidro is located in the picturesque neighborhood of San Isidro in the north of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1910 it is one of Argentina's premier yachting clubs and also boasts swimming, tennis and golf facilities.

Today was a great day for team BER during our layover in NY. We squeezed in as much of the NYC experience we could in a short few hours. Buses, subways, walking down Park Avenue on a beautiful day with a good look at Grand Central Station as well. The highlight of the day was three floors of candy at Dylan's Candy Bar. Relaxing in the Admirals Club at JFK now boarding for Buenos Aires soon.