Some of the nation’s best youth sailors will be on Hilton Head this weekend. How to watch
Some of the country’s best young sailors will be gliding through the Calibogue Sound this weekend for the Optimist Pram Invitational Regatta.
The event, which starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Windmill Harbour’s South Carolina Yacht Club, will feature six select teams of sailors younger than 15 from the East Coast and four nationally ranked sailors, according to a Thursday news release.
“We have a great field of teams and racers,” said Mark Newman, SCYC director of sailing and the coordinator of the event, which includes teams from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Florida.
Among the sailors will be United States Optimist Dinghy Association National Team members James Fulvig, twin brothers James and Nathan Pine from Charleston, and reigning national champion James Allgeier.
James Pine was the U.S. Team’s top qualifier in the World Championships held in Italy in June, finishing 9th among 380 international sailors, the news release said.
The competitors, all younger than 15, will sail on ZForce Optimist boats, which are small, single-handed fiberglass boats intended for sailors aged 8 to 15. Rhode Island-based sailboat company Zim Sailing provided 18 of the Opti boats, the release said.
The sailors will participate in a round robin of 60 races during the weekend and will be judged based on how they handle wind and water conditions, the release said. Capping off the event will be a medal round and championship round on Sunday.
For those interested in watching the event, the races can be viewed from the Windmill Harbour docks, or you can test your own sailing skills and watch from a boat in the water.
The races will start at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.
