Younger sailors’ talents were front and centre during the 2018 Canadian Optimist Dinghy Sailing Championships.
The competition brought boaters between the ages of eight to 14 from across the country, and some from the United States and Australia, to compete in Squamish.
During the event, 95 boats cruised through Howe Sound.
“One of the highlights of the regatta occurred on the final day of racing,” wrote Garry Cotter of Sail Squamish in an email to The Chief. “Just as the 95 boats were forming up on the start line, a transient Orca swam right down the middle of the race course before heading back out of the sound.”
The regatta featured two Squamish sailors, 12-year-old Ben Sweeney and 13-year-old Grayson Blann, Cotter said.
Both Sweeney and Blann began sailing five years ago in the Squamish Yacht Club’s summer learn-to-sail program.
The event was hosted by the Squamish and West Vancouver Yacht Clubs and was staged out on Newport Beach, formerly known as Nexen Beach.
The Top 10 winners are:
1. Noah Adler - Canada
2. Dieter Creitz - US
3. Andreas Steinitz - Canada
4. Charles Larochelle - Canada
5. Daniel Connors - Canada
6. Kelley Poole - Canada
7. Carling Davies - Canada
8. Liam Sturge - Canada
9. Mathieu Graham - Canada
10. Grace Poole - Canada
Results were not divided into male and female categories.
