Last Saturday, December 16, the Sint Maarten Yacht Club hosted the Aberson Series sailing race, sponsored by Grant Thornton, as part of the Dinghy Season Championship. The event, initially planned for two days, was condensed into a single full day of sailing due to an earlier postponement of the first day.
Twenty boats in three classes competed, representing Club de Voile de Friars Bay from French Saint Martin, St Barths Yacht Club, and Sint Maarten Yacht Club. The race day kicked off at 10 am, with sailors facing winds between 10 to 15 knots and strong gusts reaching 23 to 24 knots. The challenging conditions caused a few boats to capsize. Even with tough weather, the sailors showed great determination and resilience all day long.
The Optimist class saw 10 young sailors showcasing their talent, while the Laser class (ILCA) had a fleet of 8 boats. Two Quests also joined the race, adding an extra layer of excitement to the competition.
Around midday, the competitors took a break, during which all participants and spectators gathered at Explorer Island for a well-deserved lunch. This provided an opportunity for everyone to recharge and get ready for the second half of the day.
The prize-giving ceremony took place around 4:30 pm. In the ILCA fleet, Rio Stomp from the Sint Maarten Yacht Club took the first place, followed by Emilien Le Normand from Club de Voile de Friars Bay, and Frits Bus, also from Sint Maarten Yacht Club, came in third place.
In the Optimist fleet, Lourenso Rolo Couto Jorge ended in third place, right after Carmona Bouvrais Tao, who came in second place. Thomas won the first position. All three Optimist winners represented St Barths Yacht Club.
In the Quest fleet, two boats competed: Jesse Lake and Mathijs Detering finished first, and Caii Banting and Arthus, from the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, ended second.
“It was a refreshing change to have a full day of racing in the Grant Thornton Dinghy Season instead of two half days on different dates. This made it more challenging and brought out true perseverance and hard work from all the sailors, which was great to see,” said Race Officer Wessel Tangenberg.
The Sint Maarten Yacht Club would like to thank Clenda and Michelle for helping on the committee boat, Budget Marine for the committee boat and all the clubs and racers for joining the race.
Next SMYC Dinghy race will be the Grant Thornton Multiclass Regatta on Saturday January 20th and Sunday January 21st, 2024.
Aberson Series result and pictures can be found online.