Sunshine, blue skies, crystal clear water, bright white Optimist boats and enthusiastic sailors. What is missing from this perfect picture of paradise? WIND!! On November 8 and 9, 2014, the Placencia Sailing Club hosted 15 sailors from clubs all over the country as they competed in the final regatta of the season, the Nationals! Competing sailors qualified for the Nationals by participating in all six qualifying regattas held earlier this year. The sailor making it all the way to the end of the final two days of racing is named the National Champion. This is a lot of pressure on sailors who got little to no support from the wind this past weekend.
After a several hour delay on Saturday, the sailors took to the water to sail their best with little more than a light breeze. In these unusual conditions for sailing, four races were completed. At the end of day one, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place were held by San Pedro Sailing Club members.
Day two dawned just as beautiful and just as still, but the race had to go on! After completing two more races, the final results were tabulated and the winners announced. The National Champion, sailing in with the lowest score for the two days of racing was Blanca Velasquez, representing the SPSC; 2nd place went to Christian Trejo, also representing SPSC.
There was an initial tie for 3rd place between a SPSC sailor and a sailor from the Belize Sea Scouts out of Belize City. After analyzing the scores and the points in each race, Trent Hardwick, BSS was awarded 3rd place and SPSC’s Faith Noel secured 4th place. The Tipsy Tuna sponsored the regatta and awarded their own trophies to the top female and male finishers – Blanca Velsaquez and Christian Trejo.
The San Pedro Sailing Club demonstrated their talent and sailed to victory with an undefeated 2014 season. Jerdon Anderson and Katherine Salinas represented the SPSC well, taking 6th and 13th place respectively. In addition, Rashawn Gonzalez sailed like a champ in the Green Fleet, made up of sailors with less than one year sailing experience. The club looks forward to him joining the White Fleet next season.
But the awards did not stop there! Top Sailor of the Year was awarded to Jerdon Anderson based on his excellent finishes in all races throughout the season. Top Female Sailor went to Faith Noel and 3rd place for performance over the entire season was awarded to Blanca Velasquez. All three of these sailors representing the San Pedro Sailing Club!
Tammy Peterson, Chair, Commodore Amy Knox, Secretary Janet Martinez, Treasurer Lacey Salinas and Press Officer Cheryl Bowen all wish to congratulate not only the club’s winners, but the whole team that worked together all year, supporting one another, sharing training and offering help and, at all times, showing true sportsmanship. “Those are the building blocks of winners in life!”
The San Pedro Sailing Club wishes to thank their sponsors, parents and supporters for their continued efforts working with the sailors of San Pedro. The club invites anybody wishing to get involved with the now ‘National Champion Sailing Team’ and participate with a winning team as a sailor, a volunteer or a sponsor they can do so by emailing: sanpedrosailingclub@yahoo.com
“We look forward to our veteran and all new team members working together to defend our San Pedro Sailing Club National Champion title in 2015!”
