Mayreau Junior Sailors pull off another successful regatta for youth

The Mayreau Junior Sailors are always keen to continue developing by competing against young sailors from other islands.

This year, they teamed up with BOSVG and other sponsors to host their own regatta, again.

The feisty youth on the 1.5 sq. miles island have pulled off another regatta that honoured their boat-building and sailing traditions while building many life skills such as teamwork, sportsmanship, persistence in the face of difficulties and problem-solving.

They received constructive feedback on how to improve their regatta for the future. Young sailors raced in the Optimist boats (locally called box boats); Sunfish; Topaz; and 14-foot, 18-foot and 28-foot traditional double-ender working boats.

Following are the results of two days of sailing out of Mayreau’s picturesque Saline Bay:

Most Outstanding Sailor

Of particular note is 14-year-old Jerimiah Forde from Mayreau, who was named the most outstanding sailor of the 38 who participated in the regatta, based on sportsmanship, teamwork and performance.

Best Sportsmanship

Also worthy of special mention is Alick Daniel from Bequia, who received a special trophy for sportsmanship for his many years of supporting Mayreau’s Junior Sailors.

Optimist – 8 sailors in this class – 5 from Mayreau and 3 from Canouan

· 1^st place: 14-year-old Jerimiah Forde from Mayreau

· 2^nd place: 14-year-old Morya Forde from Mayreau, the only female competitor in this class

· 3^rd place: 12-year-old Josiah Creese, from Mayreau

A fun relay was held for all sailors in the optimist class. Each team consisted of one sailor from Mayreau paired with one sailor from Canouan.

· 1^st place: 14-year-old Stephon Jacobs (Canouan) and 9-year-old Devonnie Haywood (Mayreau)

· 2^nd place: 16-year-old Joshua Mitchell (Canouan) and 14-year-old Morya Forde (Mayreau)

· 3^rd place: 13-year-old Antoine Snagg (Canouan) and 9-year-old Samiah Haywood (Mayreau)

Sunfish – 4 boats in this class

· 1^st place: 14-year-old Azeem Forde, from Mayreau

· 2^nd place: 24-year-old Stephon Forde, from Mayreau

· 3^rd place: 32-year-old Jamal Forde, from Mayreau

Hobie Cat – 1 boat in this class

· 1^st place: Hudson Lewis from Mayreau

Topaz – 2 boats in this class

· 1^st place – 12-year-old Jarvon Bartholomew and John Forde, from Mayreau

· 2^nd place – 27-year-old Kimiah Thomas and 24-year-old Keithron DeRoche from Mayreau

14’ Double-Ender Working Boat – 4 boats in this class

· 1^st place – Bad Feelings from Mayreau, captained by Samuel Forde

· 2^nd place – God’s Angel from Mayreau, captained by 24-year-old Keithron DeRoche

· 3^rd place – Purple Star from Mayreau, captained by 19-year-old Norfrick Baptiste

18’ Double-Ender Working Boat – 1 boat in this class

·  1^st place – Camille from Bequia, captained by 14-year-old KJ Ollivierre

28’ Double-Ender Working Boat – 2 boats in this class

· 1^st place – No Offence from Bequia, captained by 17-year-old Orian Ollivierre

· 2^nd place – Sew Long from Bequia, captained by 18-year-old Kelron Farrell

“The Mayreau Junior Sailors gratefully acknowledge all the sailors from Bequia and Canouan who travelled to Mayreau to make this event special; all those who turned up to watch the action and show their support and, of course, all the sponsors who so enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to be associated with such a positive event,” organisers said.