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TINDALE TAKES FIRST IN THE CARIBBEAN DINGHY CHAMPIONSHIPS
With Topical Storm Irene on the doorstep, the Caribbean Dinghy Championships were held in Falmouth Bay in Antigua over the weekend. The racing was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st. Teams from Barbados, St. Maarten, Trinidad, Antigua and Tortola readily agreed to begin racing late on Friday afternoon in order to get in the required nine races for the Championships.
Foregoing a day of training on Friday, the sailors, some who had only just arrived on the island, rigged their boats and set off into the Bay for the start of the series. Two races were completed before sunset on Friday under clear skies with winds of 12 to 14 knots. Seven races were required to be completed on Saturday as the skies began darkening and the winds picked up. By mid-day, the winds which were blowing a steady 20 plus knots, left many of the youth sailors struggling to keep their boats upright, but delighted some of the heavier and more experienced Laser sailors.
Both Jason Tindale and Charlie Gloumeau, sailing for Barbados in the Laser Radial and Laser Standard Classes respectively, revelled in the high winds. With points tied before the last race, Tindale and Antiguan sailor, Omari Scott, fought a hard, fast paced and very exciting final race, with Tindale crossing the finish line just ahead of Scott to win the overall Championship in the Radial Class.
Trinidadian, Andrew Lewis, who scored bullets in all nine races, won the Laser Standard Class. Antiguan sailor, Shawn Malone, sitting in second for most of the series, suffered an asthma attack during the eighth race which opened the door for Gloumeau, who quickly took advantage of the unfortunate incident and sailed into 2nd position overall.
Thirteen-year old Scott Gittens sailed brilliantly in the Zoom 8 Class and was tied for 1st place after Friday’s racing. The high winds on Saturday got the better of Gittens’ light weight and although sailing clean, consistent races, he ended up in 3rd position overall.
The two-person team of Leisl Brewster and Kimberley Gittens, the youngest pair in the Sport 16 Class, struggled with the size of the boat and the high winds. While other teams were seen capsizing their boats, the pair continued with great determination in deteriorating conditions and never gave up the fight. They managed a 3rd and several 4th place finishes, but when the curtain came down, they were in 5th place overall.
Peter Hoad coached the team, with Penny McIntyre as Manager.
More could not have been asked of the sailors in these very difficult conditions and the entire team gave it their all with determination and passion. We could not have been prouder of the team.
Final overall positions:
Jason Tindale (Laser Radial) - 1st
Charlie Gloumeau (Laser Standard) - 2nd
Scott Gittens (Zoom 8) - 3rd
Leisl Brewster and Kimberley Gittens (Sport 16) - 5th