A total of 30 boats participated in the first dinghy race of the season, enjoying perfect sailing conditions. Competitors from Saint Martin Voile pour Tous, MDA, St Baths Yacht Club, and the Sint Maarten Yacht Club took part in this first event. The Grant Thornton Dinghy Season Championships consists of 5 – 2 day Series; starting with the Soons Series, followed by the Hope Ross Series, the Aberson Series, the Hoedemaker Series and the Multiclass Regatta.
Wessel Tangenberg, sailing instructor at SMYC, took on the role of race officer for the first time and successfully organized five races across different categories: ILCA, Optimist and RS Quest. Wessel said, “It was a beautiful day for racing. Although the wind occasionally dropped a bit, it remained relatively steady at 12-15 knots, with occasional gusts reaching 19 knots. These ideal conditions provided a true test of skill and strategy for the competing sailors.”
Joop Verkruyssen and Clenda Pecht contributed their time and expertise on the Race committee boat during the race.
In the RS Quest class, only two boats competed. SMYC’s new members Jorick Houwer and Rianne Visser secured first place, while the other RS Quest was sailed by the Soons brothers, Pieter, and Paul, after whos family the series is named. Their father, Michel Soons, was the commodore of the SMYC from 2018 till 2020.
The Optimist class boasted the most participants, with a total of 16. After five races, Thomas Magras is leading, followed by Sarah Michaux in second place and Tao Carmona in third.
In the ILCA fleet, 12 boats competed against each other. Frits Bus claimed third place, Rio Stomp claimed second place, but it was Emilien le Normand that took first place in the class.
The Soons Series promises to deliver more excitement as it progresses. The second day of the series is scheduled for October 14th.
For updates and pictures, you can visit the Sint Maarten Yacht Club Website, where the Soons Day 1 results are now available as well.