2006 Orange Bowl Recap
By Lynn Fitzpatrick
Imagine yourself as an eight-year old who has taken sailing
lessons for three or four months and finding yourself in among over 600 junior
sailors and as many coaches and parents and your first international regatta. The Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta,
held every year between Christmas and New Years, in Miami, is quite an
experience for the uninitiated and veterans.
Junior sailors from all over the world descended on Coconut Grove’s
waterfront to compete in Optimist prams, Laser 4.7’s, Laser Radials, Lasers and
Club 420’s. While the Juniors and their
parents were busy finding parking spaces, rigging and launching out of the
neighboring US Sailing Center, Coral Reef Yacht Club and Biscayne Bay Yacht
Club the Laser Masters and Lightning sailors enjoyed peace and tranquility over
at Coconut Grove Sailing Club.
Sailors from all over the world, Coconut Grove retailers and hoteliers mark their calendars for the Orange Bowl. It means 1,500 – 2,000 sailors and their entourages swarm into town. The 2006 Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta was among the largest ever while the Orange Bowl Regatta was among the smallest. What happened in Miami last week and what is indicated by the registration list for the upcoming 2006 Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta, should be viewed as healthy signs for the sport – junior sailing programs are evolving and regional and international competition is strong.
California’s developmental programs – the California International Sailing Association (CISA), Southern California Youth Yacht Racing Association (SCYYRA) and the Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association (PCISA), are providing junior sailors with a full calendar of training clinics and competition, committed volunteer parents, and lots of opportunity to mature through the Naples Sabot pram program to the Laser Radial, Laser, C-FJ and C-420 program. The CISA team dominated the C-420 Class at the Orange Bowl with a 1,2,3,8,10,11,16 and 21. Tyler Sinks steered his way to his second consecutive victory in the C-420 with all of his finishes in the top 10 except for one OCS. He and crew Morgane Renoir had four bullets in the 12-race series to beat out 77 other teams. Taylor Canfield of the Virgin Islands took second with a CISA team member, Perry Emseik. Chris Barnard and Chris Segerblom finished third.
Chuck and Lynn Sinks were surprised when Tyler’s younger brother, Scott, who has been sailing Naples Sabots for three years asked if he could compete in the regatta. Whether it can be attributed to sailing genes, his parents’ experience at making their children comfortable at a huge regatta or sheer talent, Scott made an amazing transition from the Sabot to the Optimist and finished third in the 69-boat Optimist green fleet.
Teams
from Florida, where sailing is also a year-round sport, performed well in all
of the classes. Fort Lauderdale’s Colin
Smith dominated the 127-boat Laser Radial fleet with 6 wins in the 10-race
series. Miami’s Nathaniel Johansson won
the Opti green fleet. Fort Lauderdale’s
Mac Agnese was the top sailor in the combined Opti red, white and blue 183-boat
fleet. He had 26 points in the 12-race
series with 2 discards. Sailors from
northern climes also shared in the victories.
Kyle Rogachenko from Pennsylvania won the 38-boat Laser class. David Alfonso won the Laser 4.7 class. Laser Sailor, Clay Johnson, finished up his
Christmas break at Harvard by winning the top sailor award at the Orange Bowl
Regatta with a score of 9 points in a 10-race series. Clay will return to Miami in a couple of weeks to hop into a
Laser again for the Rolex Miami OCR.
He’ll have a lot on his mind because his finals are in the middle of
January and he will actually have to take one of them while he is in Miami competing
in the regatta. A strong finish at the
Rolex Miami OCR will further secure his slot on the US Olympic Sailing Team. Skip Dieball and his crew won six out of
eight races and took top honors in the Lightning class. -- Final Youth Results
Miami Regattas is sponsoring a contest. Tell us your favorite Orange Bowl Regatta story in 200 words or less. You can even include pictures. This contest is open to anyone who has ever participated in the regatta in anyway – juniors, coaches, parents, sisters, brothers, judges, regatta organizers from any year or any country.
Prizes include a 2-night stay at a Grove Hotel, VIP tickets to Miami area attractions and more!
Submit entries by January 20, 2007 to:
Orange Bowl Essay Contest
Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce
Peacock Park
2820 McFarlane Road
Coconut Grove, FL 33133