Virgin Islands sailors have packed up their sailing gear and will be putting their dedicated training to the test in a major international sailing championship in Paraguay this week. Over the next six days, nine young sailors will be competing at the 2017 South American Optimist Championship in Encarnacion, Paraguay.
The nine sailors ranging in age from 10 to 14 years, are from St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix and make up Team ISV.
This year, the annual championship is being hosted by the Yacht Club Ypacarai in Encarnacion, Paraguay where 130 sailors from 11 countries will compete in fleet and team racing. To better prepare for this event and the very different wind and current conditions, Team ISV arrived in Paraguay on April 21 with their support parents. Today the Championship officially welcomed all competitors with the Opening Ceremonies hosted by host officials from Paraguay.
The Optimist is one of the most popular sailing dinghies and the biggest youth racing class in the world. Virgin Islands sailors have successfully competed in these international championships for decades. This year, Team ISV is sending one of the biggest teams in many years with new and promising talent. The South American Championships is the first of three major international events in which Team ISV will compete this year.
Under the direction of their coach Argy Resano, the nine sailors on Team ISV are: Mathieu Dale (STX), Alejo Di Blasi (STJ), Katherine Majette (STJ), Winborne Majette (STJ), Mia Nicolosi (STT), Robert Richards (STT), Caroline Sibilly (STT), Max van den Driessche (STT) and Andy Yu (STT).
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