Last weekend, nine members of the Royal BVI Yacht Club youth sailing team visited Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Virgin Gorda for an opportunity to race on RC44 world championship boats.
On arrival to YCCS, the junior sailors checked out the boats that they would be sailing and choose which team they wanted to sail with according to the “coolest graphics down the side of their boat.”
Once on the water, the different boats sailed around for about 40 minutes to warm up. Some of the teams let the junior sailors take the helm to tack and jibe in North Sound.
After the warm up, the race got under way which took about 40 minutes.
During the race, the junior sailors shadowed the captain and tactician. It was a very close race with a collision on the upwind leg between two of the boats.
After the race, the kids where dropped off on a nearby catamaran to watch the professional sailors compete.
“I learnt a lot today about reading the winds and that you don’t need to all speak the same language to work together to be the best sailors in the world,” Sam Childs said. “The way the team counted down their tacks and jibes was really fun to watch.”
On the return to Nanny Cay, Rayne Duff sailed with Team Aqua and he got the opportunity to helm the boat, while the crew relaxed.
“It was an amazing day all round and fantastic to see all the kids with a permanent smile on their faces throughout the day,” a RBVIYC press release stated. “As well as it being a fantastic experience for them, it was also a opportunity for them to learn about how different boats and crews work together.”
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