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by pltm
(PLTM) - BVI sailors dominated various categories in the 2017 MLK Regatta on St. Thomas last weekend, January 14-15, securing podium finishes at the end of the tournament.
Out of a team of ten BVI sailors who participated, Rayn Duff, Sam Morrell and Kael Chalwell all shined in their respective classes, standing as testaments to the rigorous training they undergo here in the BVI.
In the Optimist Champion Fleet, Duff skilfully won six consecutive races, finishing ahead her arch rival Mia Nicolosi.
Morrell of the BVI, who is currently at school in St. Thomas, was dominant in the five boat club 420 fleet with crew Caroline Teare. Finishing first in five of the nine races, he racked up a six point lead to take the overall win from Teddy Nicolosi of St. Thomas.
Kael Chalwell took the Optimist Green fleet by storm, finishing first in four of the six races by comfortable margins to secure an emphatic win.
In the same category, Antonio Cisneros secured two 7th place finishes and rounded out the weekend in ninth overall.
Just two points behind Cisneros, in tenth place was Amanda Plaxton, who stormed out of the blocks to finish fifth in the first race and went on to post consistent results through the remaining races.
The youngest (and smallest) sailor on the team, Wil Seddon struggled with the strong winds and after solid finishes in the first two races, sat out the rest of the weekend.
It was a less successful week for other BVI sailors, with Nathan Haycraft finishing sixth and Kyle Roose coming in ninth, placing them second and fifth respectively in the blue fleet.
Haycraft forced to skip the first race after breaking his mast step, was luckily able to switch to a spare boat and get back into the action for the remaining four races of the day. A better second day saw him climb back up on the score board, but not quite clicking into his recent top form.
Roose posted consistent middle fleet results with his best finish of sixth coming in race six.
White fleet sailors Ryan Lettsome and Samuel Allen finished 17th and 18th overall respectively, both sailors challenged by the strong winds.
Allen, the newest sailor to the championship fleet, could not quite match his excellent first day when he showed outstanding downwind speed in the breezy conditions. Just two points ahead was team mate Lettsome, who secured fifth in the white fleet, but like many of the lighter sailors found the conditions a major challenge.
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