Rehydrating Caribbean-style. Who needs Gatorade when you've got Red Stripe!

The North American Tornado Championships hosted by the Cayman Islands Sailing Club November 8-10 were an incredible success. Competitors from Canada, the US and Cayman enjoyed three days of perfect conditions, quality sailing and good sportsmanship.

Regatta winners were Robbie Daniel and Eric Jacobsen from the US in first place, Oskar Johanson and John Curtis of Canada in second and John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree of the US in third.  The third placed team represented the US in the Olympics in 1996 and in 2000.  The two US teams are vying for the same spot to represent the United States in the Athens Olympics in 2004. Visiting sailors had three days of practice rounds before official racing began to become accustomed to the conditions and the course.  Robbie Daniel noted that the smooth conditions in Cayman made racing less challenging, with no gusty winds or large swells the major concern is the other boats.

Cayman's own sailors faired well, with Kent Plumley and Peter O'Neill coming in sixth and Olympians Alun Davies and Theo Bullmore/Chris Carpenter placing eighth. With so few Tornados in Cayman, Caymanian teams don't get the racing practice that the visitors have, but local sailors maintained their competitive edge. Almost every start was near prefect, with local sailors and visitors alike approaching the start line at full speed when the race began. Shining young Caymanian sailor Matthew Seales stepped in at the last minute to replace an injured crew.  Seales with Roy Cairns as helm had a good race, and though not as experienced as the other sailors, they were composed and in control on the course. Unfortunately in the second to last race of the series they lost their mast and had to retire.

Competitors enjoyed the best that North Sound has to offer, with perfect sunshine, warm temperatures and steady winds all weekend.  Racers began the "sausage" course at the start line near the center of North Sound, and then beat upwind towards Kaibo to the second mark. After rounding the mark, spinnakers flew as racers slammed downwind to the start line. Each race was three laps of the course, and there were three races per day.  Many spectators came out to enjoy the racing action, among them were Governor Dinwitty and his wife.

The North American Championship is one regatta in a list of competitions that sailors participate in throughout the year. Other races are held around the world, in Clearwater, Florida, Martha's Vineyard, and Cadiz, Spain to name a few. Cayman was incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to host an event of this magnitude, and to attract the world-renowned sailors who participated last week. "The success of this weekend proves to the international sailing community that the facilities and conditions in Grand Cayman are comparable to the world's finest sailing destinations," said organizers.

Not only were racing conditions good, the social scene in Cayman is not bad either, according to US Olympian Charlie Ogletree. The event kicked off with a reception at the Governor's House Thursday evening. Saturday evening was a traditional Cayman party at the CISC clubhouse complete with jerk chicken and the St. Ignacious steel drum band. The prize giving and farewell evening was a festive affair, and the competitors thanked the CISC for their hospitality and well run event, and even promised to come again next year.