SINT MAARTEN (SIMPSON BAY) - The 30th Caribbean Dinghy Championship (CDC) took place this past weekend on the beautiful waters of Simpson Bay and the conditions couldn’t have been better for three days of exciting racing. Hosted by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) and sanctioned by the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA), the event brought together racers from around the Caribbean to compete at the highest level, while also offering great camaraderie between the sailors, their families, and organizations.
This year’s championship featured racing on over 50 boats in the Optimist, RS Quest, RS Zest, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, and Sun Fast 20 classes, offering both youth and adults a chance to compete together. Nearly 70 sailors representing 9 nations were in attendance from Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, British Virgin Islands, and Sint Maarten.
After registration, practice, and the opening ceremony on Thursday, the racing action kicked off on Friday in a shifty southeasterly breeze that ranged from 7 to 14 knots. The race committee set a trapezoidal course that brought the fleets from the western edge of Simpson Bay right up near Simpson Bay beach, down to a leeward mark near the airport before a final beat back to the finish, making each leg a different challenge for the racers. For many of the teams, who were sailing in these waters for the first time, it was a day to learn the boats and conditions.
Saturday began in a similar breeze to the day before and, after a few growing pains, you could tell the sailors were starting to settle into the boats and racing area. The competition was quite lively and fun to watch, with tight starts, tense crossing situations, and close finishes. By the end of the afternoon, there were some exhausted sailors across the course.
Sunday was the day to decide the final outcome and the breeze was switched on—coming out of the southeast at 15 to 20 knots with big seas to match. Admirably, the sailors took this in stride and the competition was fierce, with very close racing, especially across the ILCA classes. By the time the final whistle blew, the racers had given it their all on what ended up being a tough but great day on the water.
The scoring format for each CDC provides individual rankings per class, and the results per nation are then combined to crown the Nations Cup Champion. For each nation, the scores from its five highest-scoring classes count toward its final Nations Cup score.
For the individual results in the ILCA 4 class, Joshua Weinhardt from St. Vincent came in third place, Tyden Jones from Antigua came in second place, and Armaan Manwatkar from the Bahamas took first place.
In the ILCA 6 class, Massimo Lapierre from Sint Maarten came in third place, Emanuel John Alexiou from the Bahamas came in second place, and Shanoy Malone from Antigua was in first place. And in the ILCA 7 class, Kishon Bruno from Grenada came in third place, Kyle D'Juran from Trinidad and Tobago came in second place, and Rhone Kirby from Antigua took first place.
In the RS Quest class, Ethan Baily and Isaiah Tonge from Antigua came in third place, Keston Munroe and Isaiah Alexis from Trinidad and Tobago came in second place, and Rio Stomp and Dax Henriquez from Sint Maarten took first place.
In the RS Zest class, Liya Goodwin and Kadia-Lee Newman from Antigua came in third place, Axel and Louisa Vanden Eynde from Sint Maarten came in second place, and Sariyah Stoute and Kyel Dickson from Trinidad and Tobago took first place.
In the Optimist class, Ruben Van Hest from Antigua came in second place, Lluc Agusti Correa from Antigua came in second place, and Nathan Sheppard from Sint Maarten took first place.
In the Sun Fast 20 class, Flynn Hiddes and crew from Sint Maarten came in third place, Garth Steyn and crew from Sint Maarten on IGY Racing came in second place, and Adam Da Costa and crew from Trinidad and Tobago on Budget Marine took first place.
With all those results tallied for the Nations Cup final, Trinidad and Tobago came in third place with 3821.2 points, Sint Maarten came in second place with 4155.1 points, and it was Antigua with 4427.5 points who defended their title and were crowned the Nations Cup Champion for the seventh time in a row. Congratulations to them and all the sailors for a fantastic event!
This year’s CDC would not be possible without the assistance of our generous title sponsor IGY Marinas, and partners Sapphire Beach Club Resort, the Sint Maarten Yacht Club Bar & Restaurant, Zee Best Restaurant & Bake Shop, and Budget Marine. SMYC would also like to thank all of our dedicated volunteers and parents, the race committee, and our staff for putting on such a memorable event.
All pictures are by Andre ‘Dede’ Knol
