LYC Optimist Sailors Compete at National and International Regattas

July 18-26, 2009
San Pedro, CA

LYC sent a strong contingent of 10 juniors to compete in the U.S. Optimist Dinghy Association national championship at Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in San Pedro, California, with four sailors placing in the top 30 overall, highlighted by Drew Gallagher finishing eighth overall in the 171-boat fleet.

   Harry Koeppel manages the California swells at

   Optimist Nationals

 

The juniors had 10 races in steady breezes before having the top half of the competitors split into a gold/silver fleet and the bottom half participating in a bronze/pearl fleet for the final two races.  Gallagher, along with Harry Koeppel (15th), Reinier Eenkema van Dijk (18th) and Casey Klingler (27th) qualified for the gold fleet, while Ty Ingram (51st) and Matt Kaplan (59th) raced in the silver fleet.  Jack Budill (99th), Christine Klingler (105th), Elizabeth Hansen (108th) and Forrest Simpson (121st) competed in the bronze/pearl fleet. 

The day before the national championship began, three LYC sailors competed at the one-day USODA girl’s national championship, with Casey Klingler finishing seventh overall out of 58 sailors.  Elizabeth Hansen finished 32nd and Christine Klingler finished 33rd. 

Prior to the nationals, LYC sailors also competed at the same venue in the USODA Team Racing National Championship with teammates on their respective LISOT and Gnarly teams.  Gallagher, Koeppel and Eenkema van Dijk’s LISOT L team finished fourth overall, Casey Klingler’s Gnarly 1 team finished sixth, Ty Ingram’s LISOT I team finished ninth, Christine Klingler’s Gnarly 2 team finished tenth and Elizabeth Hansen’s Gnarly 3 team finished fourth in the silver division.

For results, photos and videos of each national championship, please visit the SailGroove website.

Earlier this summer, several LYC Optimist sailors spent time competing abroad.  National team member Drew Gallagher raced in the Optimist European Championships in Slovenia, finishing 76th out of 147 boys.  In the 198-boat fleet at the Optimist North American Championship in the Dominican Republic, Harry Koeppel finished 24th and Reinier Eenkema van Kijk finished 95th.  Casey Klingler finished 17th at Flanders Youth Race Week in Nieuwpoort, Belguim in a 79-boat fleet, before traveling to Sweden for their Optimist National Championship where she finished 11th out of 98 girls.  At the same event, Chrissie Klingler finished 35th and Elizabeth Hansen finished 45th.