YSF Community Sailing Sailors Compete in Major Regatta Halloween Howler on Biscayne Bay
Six YSF sailors traveled to Miami to compete in the 13th annual Halloween Howler regatta held October 28-29 on Biscayne Bay. Hosted by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, the Howler is a major sailing event with 280 boats from across Florida competing in five classes.
Sailed under cloud laden skies with in 20 knot winds gusting to 26, the conditions were challenging and totally new for the young YSF team. Slate grey sea and sky combined with the Miami skyline to provide a dramatic backdrop for the racing.
Ocean Free (12) competed for YSF in the 107 boat Optimist Green Fleet. With only 1.5 years sailing experience, Ocean beat 91 boats over two-days of intense racing on the edge. Ocean was introduced to sailing as a scholarship sailor at YSF’s 2022 Summer camp. He loved sailing and thrived. In fact, sailing has become a family passion. Mother Elizabeth became a YSF volunteer and soon was enrolled in the YSF Instructor Academy as a paid apprentice instructor working toward US Sailing Certification by yearend. Liz will join the YSF staff as a sailing instructor in early 2024.
Abhijit Gomez Acosta (10) is even newer to sailing. Abhijit stepped into a sailboat for the first time in January of 2023. After learning to sail during spring-term, Abhijit applied for and was granted four weeks of 2023 Summer Sailing Camp scholarship. By the end of the summer, Assistant Sailing Director Herminio Agront promoted Abhijit to YSF’s elite Shelby Racing Team. With only 10 months of sailing experience Abhijit raced to 27th place, leaving 80 boats in his wake.
Skipper Alex Delamarter and crew William Stricklan tied for third in the Club 420 fleet. Alex competed in the Opti 2022 North American Championship. He grew out of the Opti into the highly competitive 420. Skipper Edee Steinkamp was joined by Reed Williams as her crew in YSF’s second 420 boat. The young team sailed to a very respectable 10th place finish. YSF instructor John Mark Gaponiuk served as the 420 coach for the event. John Mark grew-up sailing at YSF and has returned as a Certified US Sailing instructor and fulltime staff member.
Sailors, coaches and parents made the long drive north to Vero Beach on Sunday evening knowing YSF sailors met the challenges of sailing in large competitive fleets with winds and seas never experienced before. Thanks to parents Nester and Mirian Gomez Acosta, Jim Delamarter and Elizabeth Free who accompanied their children on the weekend of their young lives. Sailing racing dinghies in conditions they experienced is intense and physically and mentally taxing. Nevertheless, one of the young men turned to his mom and asked to be signed-up for every regatta on the schedule. He then promptly fell asleep.
