VERO BEACH – Seven Youth Sailing Foundation (YSF) high school sailors competed in three boats against 10 other 14-foot 420 racing dinghies in last weekend’s Treasure Coast Youth Series #2 Regatta.
“This was a good first test for our young team,” said Sailing Director Mary Morgan, who coached the team on the water throughout the regatta. “We learned we can compete with talented sailors from across the Treasure Coast.”
Hosted by the US Sailing Center of Martin County, the one-day regatta was sailed in ideal conditions on the Indian River Lagoon at Jensen Beach. With a steady 10-12 knot breeze the high performance 420’s flew around the course.
Team Captain and Skipper Holly Gandolfo with crew Mylee Smith took 2nd place overall in the four race regatta. Skipper Nita Holloway with crew Sydney Ohs aboard was close behind in 3rd place. Maria McGuire and Lisa Moscoso competed for the first time and took a respectable 7th place despite a boat breakdown. Bryan DeJesus Camacho traveled with the team as an alternate.
Colby Stebbins represented YSF in the Opti class, taking 8th place out of 19 boats in the Silver Fleet.
Next up for the highschoolers is a South Atlantic Interscholastic Sailing Association (SAISA) sanctioned regatta in Palm Beach.