News SOUTH AMERICAN OPTIMIST CHAMPIONSHIP

SOUTH AMERICAN OPTIMIST CHAMPIONSHIP

Final report and results

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Untitled Document

Final report and results

Results | Photos | Tracking


April 9 - Final report

view 360 closing 

The closing ceremony marked the end of an event full of activities and varied sailing conditions. While the first eight races were sailed in light winds of 4-5 knots and flat waters - for the last four, sailors had to endure shifty winds of 20 knots from the land.

On shore, delegations were treated with a party after the team race prize giving ceremony held on Wednesday 4th, which included the a rock band led by an ex Optimist sailor; and a party at the end of the closing ceremony. Both were an excuse to sailors to do business, exchanging T-shirts and jackets. The spare day was spent on the Nazar Anchorena island accross the river, where a barbecue was served for all members of the delegations, officials and relatives. Soccer had been banned for the sailors by their coaches but the moment a football appeared on field nobody remembered the threats. :)

football on spare day
Football match | Photo © Matias Capizzano

With a first place in the open fleet, 5 sailors in the top ten and their three teams on the podium of the Nations Cup, the delegation from the USA proved that Optimist sailing is being taken seriously in their country. The last time a USA sailor won the SAMs was in 1988 in Punta del Este, Uruguay. (Mark Mendelblatt - the USA Star helm for 2012 London Olympics). This year, it was Romain Screve who took gold and earned the title of Champion of the Open fleet. Romain has gone one better than his brother Antoine who was second at the 2007 SAMs and won 29er bronze and then silver at the 2010 & 2011 ISAF Youth Worlds.

football on spare day
Romain Screve | Photo © Matias Capizzano

Among the South Americans, it was Peru who dominated both the fleet and team races. In the fleet races Renzo Sanguineti, who have attended IODA events with team Peru for a couple of years, became the new South American Champion. In the team races, team Peru defeated yet again their traditional rivals, Argentina.

renzo sanguineti
Renzo Sanguineti | Photo © Matias Capizzano

peru winners
Team PER - winners of the Team Race C'ship | Photo © Matias Capizzano

In the girls fleet, Odile van Aanholt added another title to her career. The younger of four siblings in a family of sailors, she's represented her country for nearly 4 years now, and earned a number of titles, among them bronze in the girls fleet at the Worlds in Malaysia 2010.

odile
Odile | Photo © Matias Capizzano

Prizes were awarded as follows:

Open event (no gender distinction)

  • 1- Romain Screve (USA)
  • 2- Nic Muller (USA)
  • 3- Will Logue (USA)
  • 4- Odile van Aanholt (AHO)
  • 5- Sean Brennan (USA)
  • 6- Renzo Sanguinetti (PER)
  • 7- Tomás di Luciano (ARG)
  • 8- Fausto Cruz Peralta (ARG)
  • 9- Pedro Zonta (BRA)
  • 10- Audrey Giblin (USA)
  • 11- Ivan Shestopalov (USA)
  • 12- Pedro Luiz Corrêa (BRA)
  • 13- Irina Piñeyrúa (ARG)
  • 14- Jack Parkin (USA)
  • 15- Tomás García dell' Acqua (ARG)

Closed event (no gender distinction)

  • 1- Renzo Sanguinetti (PER)
  • 2- Tomás di Luciano (ARG)
  • 3- Fausto Cruz Peralta (ARG)

Open girls fleet

  • 1- Odile van Aanholt (AHO)
  • 2- Audrey Giblin (USA)
  • 3- Irina Piñeyrúa (ARG)
  • 4- Nicole Hovassapian (ARG)
  • 5- Clara Vignati (ARG)

First male sailor open event

  • Romain Screve

Closed girls fleet

  • 1- Irina Piñeyrúa

April 7 - 17:05 local time

Windy races on the final day led to changes in the top of the ranking and ensured an all USA podium in the open event, with Romain Screve in first place, Nic Muller second and Will Logue third. Among the South Americans, Renzo Sanguineti from Peru became the South American Champion 2012, followed by Tomás di Luciano and Fausto Cruz Peralta, both from Argentina.

A report and photos of the closing ceremony will be posted later today. Meanwhile, results can be viewed here


April 6

Excellent day of races in San Isidro with 15 knots of wind from the North West, flat waters and a cloudless blue sky. Six sailors in the top ten has positioned the USA as one of the countries with better performance. Romain Screve still dominates the fleet and after a 7th and a 4th in each of the races sailed yesterday he has a lead of 15 points over Pedro Zonta from Brazil, second overall and first South American sailor so far. Third and fourth places are for Nic Muller and Ivan Shestopalov from the USA as well.

Among the girls, Odile van Aanholt from Netherlands Antilles finished 2nd and 5th overall and climbed to the first place, followed by Audry Giblin from the USA. Irina Piñeyrua from Argentina didn't do well and is now third in the fleet.

Two races are scheduled for today, the last day of the event. The closing and prize giving ceremony is to be held at 1730 this evening.

Results | Photos


April 5


The winning team | Photo © Matias Capizzano

No doubt the team races were a success. The wind finally came in and sailors could enjoy a breeze of 7 to 15 knots and displayed their skills to the crowd that gathered on the North East coast of the club.


Finals | Photo © Matias Capizzano

31 were the races in the South American Championship, sailed by 16 teams from Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Chile, while the Nations Cup had 24 races for 11 teams from USA, US Virgin Islands, Mexico, Bermuda, Canada, Uruguay and Ecuador. It was a busy day for the Race Committees, who, appart from starting the races, had to accommodate the course to the shifty winds.

All races were completed in 7 to 8 minutes except the finals, for which the courses had been enlarged and races took up to 10 minutes. Most of the starts were clean and only one or two sailors were scored OCS.

USA dominated in the Nations Cup with their three teams filling up the podium. In the South American Championship Peru took gold for sixth time in a row.


Finals in the NC | Photo © Matias Capizzano

Results: South American TR Championship | Nations Cup |

Photos: Matías Capizzano


April 4

Not much wind forecasted for today but the adrenaline is already high for the team races. As usual in the South Americans the organisers will run two parallel events, one for sailors from South America and the other -the Nations Cup- for non South American sailors, plus any team that have not qualified for the main South American Cup.

You can view the seeding of the grids here (scroll down for the Team Racing links)


April 3

A high pressure system stationed in Buenos Aires is blocking the wind and light air was again the main condition of the day yesterday, when two more races were completed. Romain Screve and Sean Brennan from the USA are widening the gap in points between them and the rest of the fleet. Sean was OCS in the second race but the discard made it possible for him to remain in second place overall. Irina from Argentina sailed consistently as well and two second places earned her the third place in the overall ranking.


Romain | Photo © Matias Capizzano

Not much wind forecasted for today but the adrenaline is already high for the team races. As usual in the South Americans the organisers will run two parallel events, one for sailors from South America and the other -the Nations Cup- for non South American sailors, plus any team that have not qualified for the main South American Cup.

You will be able to follow the races online with the tracking, which will be run for all the races of the South American Championship and a few of the Nations Cup. Follw the event also in twitter, where we are planning to post the results of each match.

You can view the seeding of the grids here (scroll down for the Team Racing links)

Results | Photos by Matías Capizzano


April 2

USA dominate the fleet after three more races in very light winds. Sean Brennan had two bullets and a fourth which, together with yesterday's first place, allowed him to climb to the highest position in the ranking. Fellow sailors Romaine Screve and Nic Muller sailed consistently as well and are ranked second and third respectively. Tomas di Luciano who was first at the end of yesterday's races went down to the 11th place after a 28th.

Among the girls Odile van Aanholt leads the fleet and is fifth overall, followed closely by local sailor Irina Pyñeirúa.

The Race Committee is planning to start two races tomorrow, giving time to all sailors to get ready for the team races on Wednesday, when the South American team racing championship and the Nations cup take place.


A start in 5 knots of wind | Photo © Matias Capizzano

Results | Photos by Matías Capizzano


April 1

The first three races of the championship were sailed today in light winds from the East - South East. Sailors launched their boats at 1015 and started the first race at 1130 as scheduled in the sailing instructions. The wind blew 5 knots from the East during the first race but gradually shifted to the right forcing the Race Committee to change the course twice, once before the second race and again before the third. The starts were clean except for race 1B when many sailors were on the course side during the last minute and didn't go back behind the line.

During the second race the wind increased to 7 knots but dropped to 5 again for the third and final race of the day.

The most challenging condition of the day was the current that ran square to the beat at 1 - 1.5 knots during the first race.

arriving at the club
Back to the club

Results | Photos by Matías Capizzano


March 31

The band played and marched in front of the majestic Club Nautico San Isidro club house as part of the championship opening ceremony yesterday.

russell clarida
Photo © Matias Capizzano

The sailors marched in front of their country banners, many with flags, waving to the crowds all enjoying the atmosphere at the start of this important continental championship.

russell clarida
Photo © Matias Capizzano

This morning Francisco Jauregui, an ISAF rule 42 Educator and a member of the jury, made a presentation to the sailors and coaches which was well attended. This afternoon there will be a practice race with the first race of the series commencing tomorrow, live tracking can be viewed here. The weather looks promising with a forcast of 5-15 knots, clear skies and 25º C.

More information is available from the Optimist Mini Site and Club Event Website


160 sailors from seventeen countries have arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the South American Optimist Championship 2012. Club Nautico San Isidro are the hosts with the racing area on the nearby River Plate.

Measurement has already begun with the opening ceremony on 30 March and the practice race the following day.

The 12 race series commences 1 April and every boat will be equipped with a GPS tracker. Live tracking can be viewed here from Sunday.

More information is available from the Event Website