Jeux des iles 2006 Palermo Sicily

Sailing Report

Teams from, Azores Canaries, Corsica, Crete, Corfu, Elba, Guadeloupe, Jersey, Malta, Madeira, Martinique, Sardinia, Sicily and the Isle of Wight gathered at Mondello, in north western Scilly for the sailing regatta of the ‘jeux des iles’.

The Isle of Wight was represented by, Carl Whitewood, Cassy Symes and Jane Scales of Yarmouth sailing club and Jon Evans of Royal Victoria Yacht Club.

The draw for boats took place on Wednesday, each team were allocated two new optimists provided by Winner. Following the draw competitors were allowed to sail in a free practice session, the conditions were excellent with the wind NW F5 and 1m seas.

The next morning brought light northerly winds and a large swell for the boys first two races, after a very promising start from Jon rounding the first mark in 10th place it became clear he was having problems with the conditions, eventual Jon had to retire due to seasickness, and this caused Jon to also miss the second race.

Unfortunately Carl was outside the time limit in the first race along with eight other boats. The wind dropped in the afternoon resulting in no racing for the girls. Following the dinner the some of the teams travelled in to Palermo to a Gelitaria with Karaoke on the bus adding to the friendly atmosphere of the event.

The second day of racing started with Force 2 winds again however the swell was gone. The Girls were first on the water, the wind stayed stable for the first two races, to leave Cassy in 11th place and Jane in 19th place after two races.

In race three the wind dropped and shifted, Jane made good use of the changeable conditions to finish the race in 8th. Which was later changed to 7th following a protest by one of the Maltese team.

After a short brake the wind picked up to a force three ready for the boys race. With a lot of catching up to do, Jon and Carl, both knowing they would have to score a DNF from the previous day, set about there mammoth task of trying to salvage a respectable result.

With the swell and Jons' seasickness gone the results improved, leaving Jon in 20th and Carl in 25th after five races. Unfortunately the decision was taken that the Girls would not complete there last two races, so the result after three races stood, with Cassy in 11th place and Jane 16th.

The team would like to thank our main sponsor Wightlink and BAE systems who provided the team kit. The team would also like to thank the staff at the sports unit who make it possible to compete in this event. Next year the event is in Corsica intend to use the results of the Optimist end of season Championships at Rutland together with some training sessions to select the team for next year.

If you are an optimist sailor born between 1992 and 1996 and want to know more about the event contact Robert Everitt at the Island Youth Water Activities Centre, by email rob@iywac.org.uk or by phone 293073