Light Winds Prevail

During the Easter weekend of 2004 (9 – 12 April) the Yacht club Braassemermeer and the OCN (Optimist Club Nederland) organised the XIX International Easter Optimist Regatta.

This year 264 young sailors from 12 countries competed fiercely to win this prestigious event. Even 20 competitors from the United States of America were there to race!

Friday afternoon, 19 April, a practice race was held to give the competitors a chance to get used to local conditions. On Saturday and Sunday they were split up into 6 groups competing amongst each other.

Saturday started with drizzle and light winds from the West. Halfway through the first race the wind shifted to the North, so the start of the third group was postponed. Whilst shifting, the wind also increased to about 11 knots, which made it possible to sail all planned three races. During the day the teams from Sweden and the Netherlands showed to be the strongest, occupying the first 9 places.

Sunday also started with light winds, about 7 knots from Northerly directions and later shifting towards the west. Despite the light and shifty winds, both planned races could be sailed, although both were shortened for the last starting groups, due to lack of wind (first race) and major wind shifts (second race). By the end of the day, all scheduled races were completed. After these 5 races there were still 9 sailors from Sweden and the Netherlands in the top 10, with Victor BERGSTRÖM (SWE) in first.

Monday, the final day of the Regatta brought sun and comfortable temperatures but no wind. All sailors were kept ashore while waiting for wind, but weather forecasts were not very promising. At the beginning of the afternoon winds picked up a little, but did not become stable and strong enough for fair racing so all races were cancelled.

This makes Victor BERSTRÖM winner of the XIX International Easter Optimist Regatta, with Gijs PELT (NED) second and Henrik Grim (SWE) third.

Overall Top Ten