European Optimists - Kiwis arrive in North Wales
by Angus Haslett on 19 Jul 2015
- Kiwi Optimist Team - 2015 European Championships, North Wales Angus Haslett
Five Opti sailors from NZ arrived in North Wales - Pwllheli - two days ago after five days training in Finland, to prepare for the 2105 IODA (International Optimist Dinghy Association) European Champs that start tomorrow - Sunday 19th June 2015.
37 nations are competing and there are 159 boys and 97 girls set to start racing at 12 noon for the Boys and Girls Championship title. NZIODA are represented by Oliver Colwey (Worser Bay BC) Francesco Kayrouz, Alice Haslett (Wakatere BC), Ben Paterson (Kohimarama YC) and Campbell Stanton (Murrays Bay BC) and their coach is Briar Dye-Hutchinson. The sailors are chosen as a result of their performance in the NZIODA's ranking regattas and NZIODA/ Toyota Opti Nationals.
Saturday saw the team take on the traditional practice race in a steady 20knot breeze with gusts to 25 with a large swell and breaking waves that produced some great downwind sailing by the kiwi team.
Following the practice race the yacht club in Pwllheli officially opened their new stunning yacht club - just in time for the club's inaugural event and it truly is something special, a striking design and superbly planned for hosting such an event as the European Champs. After a parade to the new club, a junior Welsh choir treated the sailors to some wonderful singing that only the Welsh can do so well as part of the opening ceremony - whilst the atmosphere wasn't quite the same as Cardiff and a rugby game, it was simply fantastic and the tone is set for five days of European Champs racing that lies ahead.
The team will stay on and compete in the UK Optimist Nationals after the European Champs and will get a chance to see the Kiwi 29'ers in Pwllheli who are due here at the end of the month for the 29'er Worlds.
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