USODA Team Race National Championship - Day 2 + Video

by Talbot Wilson on 21 Jul 2015 Young Opti sailors in Pensacola, Florida for the USODA Team Race National Championship had a merry marathon of racing Monday in Day two of their regatta. Sunday's racing was cut short by nearby lightning. Circle A had completed twelve races on Sunday while Circle B finished eleven. Monday was brilliant. Both circles completed the 78-race round robin.

The committee decided to cover their bases after loosing so many race opportunities on Sunday. With the mandatory round robin completed, they decided to amend the format and go straight to the round robin between the top four teams from each circle for the medals. They didn't want to face another set of afternoon thunderstorms and fail to finish the sail-off for the championship.

Circle A Preliminary Qualifying Series overall standings have Long Island Sound's LISOT Black, Newport Rhode Island's BCRP Red, Lake Ontario's LOOT 2, and Fishing Bay Virginia's FBYC moving into the medal round.

Circle B Preliminary Qualifying Series overall standings find the top four as New Jersey's Colie Elite Racing Team CERT, Lake Ontario's LOOT 1, and Houston Texas teams Lakewood Red and Lakewood Blue. They join the Circle A top four in an eight boat round robin for the USODA Team Race Championship title.

The next four boats from each circle will sail in the silver fleet sail-off.

During the lightning delay on Sunday we talked with LOOT team members and the mother of two of the sailors, Katinia Blauvelt who told us while team racing is special. 'What makes team racing unique,' she said, 'is that it takes teamwork and strategy. Team racing teaches kids to reach their goals.'

LOOT team-member Charlie Savard talked about teamwork and 'chatter.' He said, 'There are two kinds of chatter. If you are yelling at your own team, you are telling them to tack or gybe because you may have a better angle to see the action. If you are yelling hat the other team, you are yelling about your right, your right of way on the course. We are a team and work together in a group.'

Teams have code words that they use for their communication and may have times when what they say means for their teammate to do just the opposite.

The USODA Team Race National Championship, the first event of this sailing trifecta of youth championship regattas started Sunday. Team racing concludes on Tuesday. With the 86-boat USODA Girls National Championship on Wednesday and the boys and girls racing in the 306-boat USODA National Championship, this is the biggest week of sailboat races in the history of Pensacola, Northwest Florida and Pensacola Yacht Club.

Racing started with the three-day USODA Team Race National Championship through July 21. The second event, the day-long USODA Girls National Championship, follows on Wednesday July 22 and the big wrap-up is the four-day USODA National Championship sailed July 23-26.

Spectators are invited to come to the Pensacola waterfront at Plaza de Luna, Pensacola Maritime Park, Sanders Beach or Pensacola Yacht Club. A 'Food Truck' food court will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner daily at Pensacola Yacht Club.

For fleet racing in the USODA Girls National Championship and the USODA National Championship individual entries come from all over the USA and other countries including Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas and more.

Pensacola Yacht Club welcomes all of the young Opti sailors for these elite events from beginners to experts. A ‘beginners’ Green Fleet will race Thursday through Sunday in the shallow waters off Sanders Beach adjacent to Pensacola Yacht Club. In total, PYC expects over 2000 people to be involved in the championships as participants, coaches, race officials, volunteers and parents supporting their young green and championship fleet challengers.

The USODA Opti Nationals week is a great time to enjoy all that Pensacola and Northwest Florida have to offer.