As the old saying goes, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
Several local youth recently put their sailing skills to the test at the Gulf Yachting Association’s (GYA’s) Opening Regatta, which took place at the Fairhope Yacht Club in Fairhope, Alabama.
The Regatta marked the formal start of the of the summer sailing season among the thirty-three GYA member clubs, located from Texas to Florida.
“They did us proud,” says Coach Tom Lansford, who, along with his daughter Ella Lansford, coaches the Long Beach Yacht Club (LBYC) Junior Sailing Team. “They competed strongly in the GYA’s Opening Regatta.”
The regional races were held on the waters of Mobile Bay, which was not providing smooth sailing on the day of the race. Nevertheless, the LBYC team members made it back ashore to capture second- and third-place finishes.
“In extreme conditions with high winds and seas, Skipper Amelia Clark and crew Oxford Brinkley Caldwell earned second overall in the Club 420 class after seven races,” Lansford said.
Other members of the team also finished well, with skipper Jonathan Mate and crew Tenly Ruhlman earning fourth among the 420s, along with one first-place finish; and Patrick Clark came in third overall in the single-sailor Laser class.
The Long Beach Yacht Club will host a Sail Camp for local youth ages seven to seventeen this summer, with the first session set for June 3-14, and the second planned for June 17-28.
