USVI Opti Worlds Team is ready to go.

This summer, five young sailors from the USVI and five from Puerto Rico will be traveling to Switzerland to represent their island homes in the Optimist Worlds competition. The USVI sailors, ranging in age from 12 to 14, are Alex Coyle (St. John), Billy Gibbons (St. Croix), Max Nickbarg (St. John), Tyler Rice (St. Thomas), Mimi Roller (St. John). Representing Puerto Rico are David Alfonso, Ramon Gonzalez, Jose Nigaglioni, Armando Collazo and Ivan Aponte.

The regatta is scheduled for July 25 – August 5, 2005. Last year, 228 sailors representing 51 different countries participated in the Opti Worlds in Ecuador. According to the website for this year’s event (www.optimist.ch), there are 52 countries already registered for the regatta in Switzerland. The event has an Olympic feel to it as the competitors march in the opening ceremonies as a team, holding their country’s flag, with their country’s anthem playing.

The Optimist is an eight-foot single-handed sailing dinghy. For many sailors, it is an introductory boat to the sport of sailing. It is a youth class boat with the skipper aging out of the fleet the year he or she turns sixteen, though some kids size out of the class before they are forced out due to their age.

The venue will be Lake Silvaplana, in St. Moritz, in the Upper Engadine Valley of Switzerland. The conditions will be quite a bit different than what our sailors are used to in the Caribbean. At an altitude of 1800 meters, the air is less dense than a sea level, the lake is fresh water as opposed to the salty sea of the Caribbean and the water temperature rarely goes over 55 degrees. Needless to say, these kids will need to acquire dry suits or at least neoprene suits.

To prepare for the competition, the VI sailors have been sailing in various regattas all year in the USVI, BVI, PR and the states. Clinics with international coaches from Argentina and Bermuda have also been organized to provide the kids with the extra training necessary to compete in an event like the Worlds.

The USVI team has made it known that funding is an issue. If anyone would like to aide these youth sailors, tax-deductible (US) donations may be made to the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee for the Worlds Optimist Team. For more information, please email Sue Gibbons.

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