While the Sail Newport Youth Challenge sported a fleet of about 70 Optimists, and a small group of 16 420s, the Laser fleet only had 8 boats. But that didn't stop these junior sailors from giving it their all! With those heavy air conditions later on Saturday and a decent seabreeze later on Sunday, everyone was hiking out and sailing their boats to the max.
All of the competitors were competing in the Laser Radial, a slightly smaller rig and reduced sail area for lighter weight sailors compared to the Laser Full Rig. Everyone looked like they were having a blast and it made me miss the days of competing in Lasers! Few capsizes to speak of, and some very tight racing between the top 3 sailors with only 3 points separating 1st and 2nd place, and another 3 points between 2nd and 3rd.
Congratulations to all the juniors, Lasers, 420s and Optis alike, on a job well done! It was a great weekend of competition and hopefully as the school year ends and junior sailing gets into full swing we will see more terrific competition from these talented young sailors!
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