Delivering the on water lunches.

Shifty conditions interspersed with puffs gusting from 15 to 20 knots made for challenging conditions for the 185 junior sailors competing in the first day of racing in the Optimist North American Championships, sailed off of Store Bay, Tobago.

The first of three races for the day got underway just after 10 a.m. Of the 18 nations represented, sailors from the South American countries of Peru and Brazil, North American countries of the USA and Bermuda, and Caribbean islands of Trinidad & Tobago were among those at the top of the fleet.

Bermudian sailors chat between races.

“We brought a strong team from Peru,” says Peter Barclay, vice president of the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA), who hails from Peru.

Twelve-year-old Ivan Aponte, from Puerto Rico, had a great day. “I got a third and fourth in two of the races,” says Aponte, with a big smile.

“It was tough,” said a tired 11-year-old Ard van Aanholt, who is representing Curacao along with 9-year-old brother Just and 13-year-old sister Philipine.

Race one fleet rounding.

Fourteen-year-old Matthew Scott, from Trinidad agreed with Van Aanholt, with a caveat. “It was tough and tricky out there, but I’m up to the challenge and I think I have a good chance of doing really well. We’ve really trained hard for this event.”

Alexander C.G Alencastro from Brazil sails in the top of the fleet.

Full-fledged support by the Trinidad & Tobago government has moved sailing into the forefront and positioned this dual-island nationality to be one of less than a handful of countries around the world to make sailing a national sport.

“We’re more than just footballers,” says David Lewis, president of the Trinidad & Tobago Optimist Dinghy Association (TODA).

Lewis adds, “We’d like to see other Caribbean island governments follow suit and put the region on the map as a powerhouse for sailing.”

Racing continues tomorrow.

Martinique's Mattis Naud shows determination.

For results, see: www.optinam2005.com

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