Youth Sailing Foundation’s racing team traveled to the U.S. Sailing Center of Martin County in Jensen Beach to participate in a Junior Olympics regatta. Huge fleets of 63 Opti and 54 420 racing dinghies gathered for the two-day event. Racing teams from all over the state of Florida came to compete in the most prestigious junior regatta of the year.
U.S. Sailing’s Junior Olympics Sailing Festival Program is a nationwide series of sailing regattas for youth ages 8 to 18. Each event is hosted by a local sailing organization. All events share a common goal: to encourage young sailors to enjoy sailing, develop their skills and become lifetime sailors.
YSF’s Skyler Dussan had a terrific regatta finishing 11 of 63 in the Opti Green Fleet. It takes stamina and concentration to sail at this level for seven races spanning two days of competition. This was Skyler’s first time sailing in a Junior Olympic regatta. Bobby Myhre and Aston Evers respectively sailed to 19th and 32nd finishes. The experience of coming to the starting line in fleet of 63, maneuvering tensely waiting for the starting gun, and then racing all-out in tight quarters, is at the same time intimidating and exhilarating for these young 10-11-year-old racers.
In the highly competitive 420 Class YSF’s skipper Nick Crull, with crew Edee SteinKamp aboard, finished in the middle of the fleet at 27th out of 54 teams. Beating 27 of the some of the best sailors in the United States is a significant accomplishment for these 14-year-old sailors.
Youth Sailing Foundation of Indian River County, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit devoted to eliminating cultural and financial barriers to sailing. Numerous youth programs are offered throughout the year, many of them free to participants. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit: www.ysfirc.org.
