A record 178 junior sailors from six states and twenty different junior sailing programs participated this weekend in the Rock Hall Yacht Club’s largest regatta yet – the 2010 USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival/Chesapeake Bay Open. Menacing thunderstorms delayed the start of the two-day regatta by two hours but didn’t dampen the spirits of the junior sailors, ages 8 – 18, who traveled from cities including Baltimore, Annapolis, Oxford, Norfolk and Richmond, VA, Sandy Hook, NJ, Chester Springs, PA, Seattle, WA, and Clearwater, FL.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Gary Jobson, President of US Sailing and America’s Cup Hall of Famer told the intent competitors, “Winning is nice, learning is more important, but the most important thing is having fun. Sailing is all about having a good time.”
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“This regatta exceeded all our expectations – not only by the great turn out, but also the incredible display of sportsmanship and camaraderie the competitors exhibited throughout the weekend,” said Wanda McCue, RHYC Event Chair. “They have learned to respect each other, the sport and the people who host their races. A lot of the credit goes to the parents and coaches of the junior sailing programs because this was a great group of sailors!
“In terms of planning, we couldn’t have pulled this off without a fleet of 125 volunteers – both RHYC members and non-members – as well as local sponsors, and the support of US Sailing, the national organizer of this program,” explains RHYC Commodore Lee Urbani. “We were one of twenty-five regional Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals planned to happen throughout the year – it’s a true honor to be part of this growing program.”
Regatta competition was organized by sailing classes which drew 37 Laser Radials, 19 Club 420s, 63 Optimist Dinghies in the Red/White/Blue fleets, and 16 beginners in the Optimist Green Fleet. New to the Junior Olympics were the Hobie 16 and Board Sailing classes. Hobie 16′s attracted 9 boats from as far away as Seattle and Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club in New Jersey. Windsurfing drew six sailors from across the country.
“This was the first regional Junior Olympics regatta to include windsurfing,” says President of U.S. Windsurfing Karen Marriott. “It was the perfect opportunity for our national team to train, practice, and warm up for the World Championships.” Among the six windsurfers were three competitors who will travel this month to the International Windsurfing Association Techno 293 World Championships in Marseille, France: Margot Samson and Charlotte Samson of Clearwater, FL, and Ian Stokes of Norfolk, VA. After that, Margot and Ian will travel to Singapore for the Youth Olympics – a first-time sanctioned event designed to allow 15- and 16-year-olds to compete against athletes their own age.
Gary Jobson told the crowd of sailors, coaches and parents at the Olympic-style award ceremony that the most exciting moment of his career was not the numerous America’s Cup or ocean races he has done — it was dragging a Laser out through the surf in 30-knot winds for a solo sail in his youth.
“Here’s a fact to remember: eighty percent of our team that sailed in the Beijing Olympics started in the Optis,” said Jobson. “My advice: it’s far more important to focus on what you learn, than how you do in each race.” After a few more great anecdotes he offered these words, “Try to sail your boat the best you can, but no matter how you do, just keep trying to do better and improve. If you want to go faster, just ask questions and find out what your competitors are doing differently.”
Results of the regatta are posted at www.rockhallyachtclub.org/jo. The Rock Hall Yacht Club is located on Langford Bay in Rock Hall, Maryland. The club’s primary goal is to promote a sense of community and enjoyment in, on, and around the water. The Rock Hall Yacht Club offers general membership by application and has an active sailing school which is open to the public.
Photography by Sara Proctor, sailfastphoto.com