Seabrook, TX:
The Lakewood Yacht Club Youth Sailing program was represented well at events in both Americas last weekend.
LYC was honored to host the
Texas Sailing Association (TSA) Kickoff Event
for 2019/2020 season Feb. 9-10, which had 75 boats visiting Seabrook from all over Texas.
"A huge thanks to all those parents, volunteers and LYC staff for their efforts to make this an outstanding event,"
says LYC Waterfront Director Terry Flynn.
"The weather on Saturday was cold as temperatures were in the low to mid-40s, with winds at 5 to 12 knots. Sunday warmed up and provided a beautiful day of sailing, however."
Lakewood sailors represented well at the top of the fleets including seven sailors earning top-three finishes.
Concurrently, on Feb. 9-10, Tony Slowik, Lucas Tenrreiro, Ava Anderson, Maddie Janzen, William Baker and Matias Martin, alongside the Head Opti Coach Bernat Gali Bou, traveled to South America to compete in the annual
Semana Internacional del Yachting
, hosted by the Club Nautico Mar del Plata and Yacht Club Argentino, both located in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
In their 54th edition, this competition, one of the most important in South America, attracted 730 sailors in 14 different fleets, with a record number of 232 Optimists registered. The US was represented by sailors coming from Lauderdale, LISOT, Chicago and Miami as well as Lakewood.
The weather proved to be gorgeous during five days of fantastic sailing, with a wide range of conditions, from 6 to 25 knots, blowing from different directions and a swell difficult to find anywhere in the US. Temperatures moved from the low 70s to the high 80s and provided some epic sailing, allowing the Regatta Organizers to complete 15 races in five days, the full program.
The format of the Regatta was simple, with four days of qualifying, 12 races in total, plus one day of finals consisting of three more races. The 232 sailors were divided into three fleets the first four days, while on the final day, they were split into Gold, Silver and Bronze.
After 15 races, Tony Slowik led the Team finishing in a fantastic 11th position overall after a great week of sailing. Tony proved to be able to adapt very well to the variable conditions, and finished 2nd top US sailor in the Regatta.
Following Tony was Lucas Tenrreiro, who had a very consistent day in Gold Fleet, and placed 29th overall, overcoming some tactical issues and sailing very smart at the end.
LYC sailor Maddie Janzen adapted very well to her first Regatta in big waves, and finished 50th and 3rd overall in the Junior Fleet, 11 years old and under, finishing top 30 in the all her races in Gold Fleet. Following Maddie was Ava Anderson, who probably sailed her best Regatta yet and finished the Gold Fleet in an incredible 9th in the last race.
The last Lakewood sailor in Gold Fleet was William Baker, who despite struggling with starts all Championship, finished 60th in Gold Fleet.
A special mention goes out to Matias Martin, who unfortunately missed the first day of racing due to a stomach virus. With three DNF's, Matias forced his way back, scoring a bullet in the 4th day, and just missed the cut for Gold Fleet because of a BFD on the 4th day. Wishing to prove he deserved to be in the Gold Fleet, he scored two more bullets in Silver Fleet on Saturday, finishing 2nd overall in the Fleet.
"This is the second time Lakewood Yacht Club attended this regatta, and I must say the sailing conditions are tough to beat,"
says LYC Coach Gali Bou.
"The Regatta is nicely organized, there's good weather, strong competition and challenging conditions. Next year, they will be hosting the IODA South American Championships, so expect another fantastic Regatta."
