RENRE JUNIOR GOLD CUP

Wade Waddell takes the title.

October 10

All the sailors enjoyed the opportunity to race on Hamilton harbor on their last day, in front of a large crowd of spectators and Argo Group Gold Cup sailors, who competed in their final match race just after the juniors had finished their final race.

Wade Waddell (USA) had led the regatta from the beginning. Second place went to Astrid Still (Finland) and third was Martyna Mik (Poland).

Torvar Mirsky (AUS) winner of the Argo Gold Cup and Wade Wadell, winner of the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup. Photo © Charles Anderson/RBYC

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October 7

39 sailors from sixteen countries have 4 days of tough racing, culminating in a final day on Sunday with racing held in front of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and an expected large crowd.

Day two of the RenaissanceRe (RenRe) Junior Gold Cup was a taxing day for all the competitors as winds were 20 knots and gusty. American Wade Waddell remains in first place after two days of racing. His steady finishes at the top of the fleet have given him a six-point lead over the competition. With two bullets Thursday, and two seconds, a third and a fifth place on day two, he says he struggled with the wind shifts and keeping his boat flat today. With 14 points after seven races he is sailing consistently even against some formidable female challengers.

Astrid Still of Finland who is sailing very well is currently in second place with 21 points. Third place belongs to Oliver Osterberg of Sweden who had two bullets today and has a total of 27 points.

Wade Wadell and Martyna Mik approaching the finish Photo © Charles Anderson/RBYC

"Today was really shifty and when the puffs came I should have de-powered more. I watched the girls ahead of me depowering so well and I really could have hiked more" Waddell said "but I am pleased to be in first place." Waddell says that it may have looked that way, but he was not being a gentlemen on the course today when he lost the top spot on nearly each race to one of the girls, including Still, Francesca Bergamo of Italy, and Martyna Mik of Poland who are in second, fourth and fifth place respectively. "I wasn’t being polite," Waddell said, "but they just kept their boats flat and sailed them really well."

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is also playing host to the Argo Group Gold Cup (the penultimate event in the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) which is the professional match racing series which will crown the world champion next month in Malaysia). Among the 72 invited skippers and crew, is Taylor Canfield, 22 of the US Virgin Islands, Lance Fraser, 19 and Peter Miller, 21 of Bermuda, who all participated in the Junior Gold Cup as youngsters. Peter Miller, who is competing in his first Argo Group Gold Cup, said "by far the RenRe Junior Gold Cup is the coolest one in the Opti world. It is smaller in a sense than a world’s event, but as you see here today you have 11 national champions competing in one place. Although as a youngster you don’t realize you are looking at people who are at the pinnacle of the sport, it can happen to you. Young sailors should take advantage of every opportunity in sailing." Lance Fraser added, "It didn’t seem quite real to me as an Opti sailor at the RenRe Junior Gold Cup that I could one day participate in the Gold Cup. At that time, there were people like Russell Coutts, James Spithill and others here to race. But, now, many of the sailors are younger and the field is opening up. It is hard racing but it is great to be here."

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