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.