The Rarotonga Sailing Club hosted the National Championships for the Optimist class and Optimist ‘Jellybeans’ class in Muri Lagoon earlier this month.

The Optimist Jellybeans Nationals held from November 28-30 showcased fierce competition, incredible skill, and the passion of our future sailing champions. This was followed by the Optimists from December 5-7.

Rarotonga Sailing Club (RSC) commodore, Chris Fenwick said: “These events were a great way to finish the racing calendar for 2024 as it showcased the skills of these young sailors and their growth and development achieved throughout the year.”

“The club has seen strong growth in youth sailing throughout the year thanks to the enthusiasm of our Club Captain and sailing coach Jacobo Miquel.”

The Jellybeans are a development/training boat for kids new to sailing. Fenwick said it was great to see 11 sailors, some of whom have only been sailing for a short time, out on the lagoon competing.

As an added incentive this regatta was used as a qualifier whereby the top seven sailors advanced through to the Optimist Nationals the following weekend and a chance to race the more experienced sailors.

At the front of the fleet, Omni Tauakume put on a masterclass performance, winning 15 of the 18 races in the Optimist ‘Jellybeans’. Amani Atera and Aroko Kirkwood finished in second and third place, respectively, with only a two-point difference between them.

In the Optimist Nationals, due to the growth in sailing numbers, the fleet was split into three groups for a qualification series to determine the gold and silver fleets.

Each fleet then sailed for their respective titles. From the qualifications it was Iro Short (from the Jellybean fleet) that made it through to the gold fleet to race with the top Optimist sailors.

Omni Tauakume swept the silver fleet, winning all five races and claiming the title. Aroko Kirkwood and Avaiki Williams battled for the remaining podium spots, with Kirkwood ultimately securing second place.

Meanwhile, in the gold fleet three familiar foes Mia Fenwick, Edmund Postrzygacz and John Hoff were battling it out for the title. These three sailors have had some very close results throughout the year and the Nationals were no exception.

At the lunch break, and with five races completed, Fenwick was looking strong with three wins but Postrzygacz and Hoff were not far behind. In the afternoon, Postrzygacz showcased why he has been the one to beat all season, taking wins in races six and seven. This ensured that the final race of the series would determine who was going to be the champion.  

After a nervous wait while the final results were calculated and with only two points separating first to third, it was Fenwick who was crowned champion followed by Hoff and Postrzygacz, respectively.

Overall, these two events were a great success and very much enjoyed by all the sailors.

“A massive congratulations to sailing coach Jacobo Miquel for not only his coaching during the year but for organising these regattas and running the racing,” Chris Fenwick said.

On Sunday, December 2, the club members gathered for its annual Christmas barbeque.

“It was a fantastic day where members enjoyed food, company and beach games at the clubhouse. The kids also swapped boats for the stage as they put on performances for the judges and crowd of supporters – well done everyone.

“The Rarotonga Sailing Club can’t wait to see what next year brings. The commodore, executives and members wish everyone wonderful festive holidays.”

Results

Jelly Bean Nationals results:  Omni Tauakume, 2 Amani Atera, 3 Aroko Kirkwood, 4 Avaiki Williams, 5 Numia Horn-Smith, 6 Eva Stetka, 7 Iro Short, 8 Alois Sebastien, 9 Carl Dilevu, 10 Julian Horn-Smith, 11 Conrad Berry.

Optimist Nationals Silver Rank results: 1 Omni Tauakume, 2 Aroko Kirkwood, 3 Avaiki Williams, 4 Jiro Daniel, 5 Amani Atera, 6 Eva Stetka, 7 Numia Horn-Smith.

Optimist Nationals Gold Rank: 1 Mia Fenwick, 2 John Hoff, 3 Edmund Postrzygacz, 4 Duke Burgess, 5 Olivia Postrzygacz, 6 Amelie Fenwick, 7 Iro Short, 8 Klaasje Nia.