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PRESS RELEASE – IGY Rodney Bay Marina are proud of two of their staff who were part of a great five man team which sailed ‘Attitude’ into overall 3rd place in the two-day 2016 Barbados J24 Open Regatta on 16-17 April.
Scott Anthony (foredeck) and Jervis Valcin were accompanied by their exceptional team mates Fredric Sweeney (Captain), Ricardo Charmon (middle) and Dylan Charles (trimmer).
A total of nine teams took part with approximately 50 sailors from Barbados, Grenada and of course St Lucia. The first day of sailing was on the south coast of Barbados with sailing conditions light with just a slight chop, the second day saw the racing switch to inside Carlisle Bay where there was a more moderate wind speed.
In order to work with these lighter conditions and current patterns their positioning relative to the shore and the fleet was all important in order to make maximum gains, whether sailing upwind or downwind. Despite having not competed since Mango Bowl Regatta in November they had some great starts, also dealing with such light winds the bigger head sail or genoa was needed, rarely used by the team, but handled beautifully. They maintained a great speed but it was exceptionally competitive and after a few mishaps, just one bad tack or a mediocre start would have ruined their race.
To achieve third place was impressive indeed as the team had little time to practice before their battle against the strong Bajan teams who practice and race regularly, even competing in the world championships. The Bajans excellent equipment and local knowledge meant this third place on the podium was even more rewarding for the Lucian sailors. No wonder their Captain was so proud of his team. The team is keen to thank their generous sponsors who by supporting them help make this all happen, Sugar Beach Resort and IGY Rodney Bay Marina.
This season has been pretty low key for the team but this win has motivated them to take part in a few more events in Barbados before the season closes. Next year they aim to begin the season with the Mount Gay Regatta followed by the Grenada Sailing week.
Easter will be the Bequia Regatta and then return to Barbados to chase the Barbados J24 championships title again. Then the busy summer in Barbados with the May Regatta, Lucky Horseshoe or Harris Paints Regatta. Finally returning to St Lucia at the end of the year for the national J24 championships and the premier Mango Bowl. Hopefully with all these events they will still be able to take part in the local events back home in St Lucia, the Diamond Dash and Round the Island.
Congratulations! Well done to ‘Team St Lucia’!
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