Larchmont Junior Sailors Compete Successfully this Winter
Larchmont YC juniors competed actively this winter in several top regattas, traveling south and west, and qualified for a number of top-level national and international competitions.
Over Christmas break, several Larchmont juniors traveled to Miami to sail in the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club on Biscayne Bay.
Larchmont's Club 420 teams excelled in this popular event that drew over 700 sailors from 23 countries. In a fleet of 113 boats, Markus Edegran and Colin Murphy finished 6th, Andrew Mollerus and Charlie Peck 11th, Amanda Taselaar and Kyla McComb 24th and Lukas Edegran and Teddy Mark 53rd. As a result of their high Orange Bowl finishes, Larchmont teams qualified for three of eighteen 420 slots in the 2009 U.S. Sailing Youth World Qualifier held January 17 – 19 on Alamitos Bay in California. Markus Edegran and Colin Murphy finished 6th and Andrew Mollerus and Charlie Peck placed 7th in the 9-boat International 420 boys’ division. Amanda Taselaar and Kyla McComb won a race and were 6th in the 9-boat Club 420 girls’ group. This event is for sailors 19 years of age and younger. The Larchmont boys, all of whom are 15, and the girls, who are 16, gained experience in this regatta and will have at least three more years to compete for an opportunity to sail in the Youth Worlds, the most prestigious junior sailing competition in the world. For more information on the U.S. Sailing Youth World Qualifier, visit the Regatta Website.
On the Optimist circuit, Reinier Eenkema van Dijk, Drew Gallagher and Casey and Chrissie Klingler started matters off at the U.S. Optimist Dinghy Association Midwinters held by Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans over Thanksgiving weekend. Reinier finished 13th out of 139 boats and qualified to compete in the International Easter Regatta in the Netherlands for the second consecutive year. Over Christmas break, Jack Budill, Reinier Eenkema van Dijk, Casey and Chrissie Klingler and Matthew Mollerus joined their 420 counterparts at the Orange Bowl, competing in a 219-boat fleet. Reinier finished 9th overall and was one of only three U.S. sailors to finish in the top ten. Trey Brazill sailed in the 33-boat standard Laser fleet. For complete Orange Bowl results for 420s and Optimists, visit Coral Reef Yacht Club.
Reinier, Casey, Chrissie and Matthew crossed Florida after the Orange Bowl to compete in the USODA Team Race Midwinters held January 1 – 3 in Tampa. They were joined by Larchmont juniors Drew Gallagher and Ty Ingram. The six Larchmonters sailed on three different teams. Reinier and Matthew’s team won 12 of its 14 races to finish 2nd and earned a place in the Trofeo Marcus Rizotti Europe Cup Team Race Championship in Venice, Italy in May. Drew and Casey’s team, which also included Larchmont YC member Bevin Koeppel’s grandson, Harry Koeppel, finished 4th, and Ty and Chrissie’s team also qualified for the gold fleet and finished 6th overall.
