LYC Optimist Sailors Brave Cold at USODA Midwest Championship, Qualify for Spring International Teams

October 9-12, 2009

Milwaukee, WI

Seven LYC Optimist sailors traveled to Lake Michigan to compete against 148 competitors in the USODA Midwest Championship.  A large cold front brought freezing temperatures to Wisconsin, and sailors on Day 2 had to chip ice out of their boats and pour hot water on frozen mainsheets in order to rig.  The erratic weather, which also included breeze from 0 to 25 knots, 40-degree wind shifts and challenging seas, led to inconsistent finishes in the seven-race series. 

 

   Harry Koeppel (orange hat) stays warm on the offset leg of

   the USODA Midwest Championship in Milwaukee.

 

LYC’s Harry Koeppel placed fifth overall despite not finishing higher than sixth in any one race.  Reinier Eenkema van Dijk (12th), Drew Gallagher (13) and Casey Klingler (27th, 6th girl) also had strong regattas.  Also competing for LYC were Jack Budill (61st), Christine Klingler (94th) and Elizabeth Hansen (120th).  The regatta was a qualifier for the 2010 U.S. spring international Optimist teams.  On the strength of his finish, Harry Koeppel was selected to represent the United States at the 2010 Optimist South American Championship, to be held in Punta del Este, Uruguay.  Drew Gallagher and Casey Klingler qualified to sail at the 2010 IODA Oceana Championship in Adelaide, Australia.  Reinier Eenkema van Dijk is expected to sail at the 28th Lake Garda Optimist Meeting in Lake Garda, Italy, while the other LYC Optimist sailors may also be selected to teams.  Results from the USODA Midwest Championship.