Regatta sailors in front of the St. Thomas Yacht Club.

Thirteen teams - of four junior sailors each - took to the seas off St. Thomas' east end to compete in the 2009 Sea Star Team Racing Championships. At the end of the day, it was Team U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) that emerged victorious. Team Puerto Rico and Team USA finished second and third, respectively.

"In the past, every time we lost we'd lost we'd learn from our mistakes and get better," said Kyle Brego, one of the champion Team USVI sailors. "This year we had some new team members and practiced a lot. It paid off."


Clarence Nibbs, operations manager for Sea Star Line Caribbean, LLC, commented, "At Sea Star, we embrace the team concept and are proud to sponsor both the Team Racing Championships as well as the clinic that took place earlier this week. Teamwork is as important to sports as it is the workplace."

This year's Sea Star Team Racing Championships proved extra challenging.

Agustin 'Argy' Resano, the USVI National Team Coach and who headed up the Sea Star Clinic and Sea Star Team Racing Championships, said, "We used the same course as will be used for team racing in the Optimist North American Championships in the Dominican Republic and the Optimist World Championships in Brazil. It's more challenging. The course has more mark roundings and more chances for a penalty."

Sixty-seven junior sailors from thirteen nations - Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, the USA, Venezuela and all three USVI - participated in the three-day Sea Star Clinic.

"The clinic was really good," said BVI sailor, Mollee Donovan. "I learned different things, little tricks, that helped me to get my boat to go faster. I think it will really help me in the regatta."

Resano says, "This clinic was one of the best we had in terms of skill level. We had two former South American champions as well as the U.S. Worlds team participating. In addition, we had perfect conditions - winds of 8 to 12 knots.

The 17th Annual Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta gets underway tomorrow. Eighty-one junior sailors ranging in age from 7 to 15 years of age will compete in the three-day regatta that ends Sunday.

In addition to the hi-caliber racing, shoreside activities will include a Wii tournament and Caribbean-themed night that includes fire blowers. The fun culminates with a beachside brunch and Awards Ceremony on June 21st.

Trophies will be awarded to the top five in each fleet and top three overall. Additional trophies include the Peter Ives' Perpetual Trophy, the Chuck Fuller Sportsmanship Award and the top female sailor.

"Sailing offers many life-lessons that will serve young people well and can make them better members of our community. The sport teaches, focus, discipline, self-reliance and respect for the environment. It encourages youngsters to push themselves beyond their comfort zone and leads to the pursuit of excellence," says Lawrence A. Aqui, vice president, Scotiabank, U.S. and British Virgin Islands. "These are all the qualities that Scotiabank values and promotes. We are proud to again be the Title Sponsor for the Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta."

For more information contact Cindy Hackstaff at: cindy@styc.net or Bill Canfield at: wkcanfield@gmail.com; Tel: 340-775-6320; Fax: 340-775-3600. Or, for the Notice of Regatta, Registration Forms and other information, visit the St. Thomas Yacht Club web si

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