Sailors representing the Lauderdale Yacht Club took three of the top five spots at the most competitive Optimist Dinghy regatta of the year, the Team Trials Championship, in a dramatic finish where the last race decided the winner.
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| (right to left) World Team Coach Lior Lavie, Justin Callahan, Stephan Baker, Charlotte Leigh, Liam O'Keefe, Mitchell Callahan |
Competing at Brant Beach Yacht Club in New Jersey for the opportunity to represent the U.S. in the World Championships, teammates Stephan Baker and Justin Callahan each sought to clinch the top spot at this most competitive U.S. regatta, a position Callahan won handily in 2016 while Baker placed a distant 13th. Callahan proceeded to place 8th at last year's World Championships, while Baker spent the year winning other championships, starting with the U.S. Nationals, then New England's, and most recently, becoming the first American to win at the prestigious Lake Garda championships event in Italy, besting over 1,000 Optis in the largest one-design regatta in the world. The stage was set for the head to head.
Baker led the first two days of the regatta, but two higher scores on Sunday allowed the veteran Callahan to jump one point ahead, then get pulled back to a tie after the penultimate race, only one point in front of CRYC's Liam O'Keefe, who won the start at the pin with Callahan and Baker close by. Unlike earlier races that saw sailors winning with 60-second margins, the race's 25-degree wind shifts and 8-18 knot wind speeds meant no sailor could separate. O'Keefe led close around the course, eyeing overall victory, while Baker fell back into the pack behind Callahan. Callahan covered Baker around the course until the final leg when a right shift with pressure allowed Baker to slip by to finish second behind O'Keefe, ahead of Callahan's sixth. Then, O'Keefe was notified of his BFD disqualification for a premature start. The results of the dramatic final race left Baker alone at the top, with Justin four points behind.
The cheers on the Callahan spectator boat were also shared for Mitchell Callahan. Mitchell, who missed qualifying for the 2016 worlds with a series of missteps in the back half of 2016's Trials, must have feared history might repeat itself after two poor finishes in the middle of this year's event. But the always-positive sailor who won this year's Southeast Championships stayed strong and consistent in the final day's variable conditions to end the regatta with three top-ten finishes, securing his fifth place finish and a berth representing the U.S. at the World Championships in Thailand later this year.
Baker, Justin, and Mitchell weren't the only LYC sailors to deliver impressive performances at Trials. LYC's Connor Boland, leapt from last year's 121st to finish 20th at this year's Team Trials, securing a spot on the prestigious U.S. National Team. Jack Redmond, who didn't even attend Team Trials in 2016, threw down five top-20 finishes to finish 28th and clinch a spot on the U.S. Development Team. Ryan Kronrad, 112th at last year's Nationals, vaulted to 37th, joining his teammate Redmond on the Development Team. And graduating Opti sailor Bobby Rielly capped his career with a Gold Fleet finish of 71st. All four sailors will likely receive invitations to international championships as a result of their impressive performances.
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| Laura Hamilton (left) and Lucy Meagher laugh off the cold |
Other LYC Sailors showed impressive results as well. Kaitlin Hamilton survived a U-flag disqualification and questionable protest to end up 13th in silver and 87th overall, a jump from last year's 103rd even with these penalties. Her sister Laura scored 35th in Silver, and parter-in-crime Lucy Meagher 51st, all besting their 2016 scores. Not to be left out, Sara Schumann finished an impressive 26th, and then joined teammates Baker, Callahan, Callahan, and Boland to fly immediately to Venice, Italy, after the New Jersey event, to participate in the fabled Marco Rizotti Team Race Championships they qualified for after their win at the 2017 Team Race Midwinters [follow them here May 18-20].
LYC's Angus Renton placed 122nd in Silver, and Polk Baggett was forced to withdraw early, finishing 147th.
Within the same week, LYC sailors took first place in A Division at High School Nationals, and swept the top spots at the Laser Atlantic Coast Championships. LYC is proud to train such fantastic sailors across the spectrum of junior sailing, and is now welcoming applications for Summer and Fall programs. Contact john.casey@lyc.org for more information.
