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ight sailors from the Bow to Stern summer Youth Sailing Camp represented the new school well in this past weekend’s Hoop Pole Regatta in Adams Creek. Three of the children from Oriental — Nicole Edwards, Alexis Edwards and Zach Bruno —- took 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Optimist class and one took top honors in the entire competition.

All eight of the young sailors from Oriental finished in the Top Ten in the Optimist division. (15 Optimist sailors took part, including graduates of Beaufort’s youth sailing program)

A great team effort. Seven of the eight kids from the Bow to Stern Youth Sailing Camp, who took part in the Hoop Pole Regatta in Adams Creek. Zach, Ben, Nicole, Alexis,Maverick, Jarrett, Emali. (Not pictured: Powell Doyle.)

Jim Edwards, who runs the Bow to Stern Youth Sailing Camp provided this list of the finishers. As for that point system, Jim says the sailors “got one point for the respective place they finished in each race.” Like golf, the lowest number of points won.

1st Nicole Edwards 6 pts
2nd Alexis Edwards 12 pts
3rd Zach Bruno 30pts
4th Caroline Ritter (Beaufort Program) 31pts
5th Will Grotheer (Beaufort Program) 33pts
6th Emali Tsai 41pts
7th Powell Doyle 45pts
8th Jarrett Smith 51pts
9th Ben Bruno 56pts
10th Maverick Smith 62pts
11-15th Beaufort Program sailors 62,66,72,X,X

Nicole Edwards, who won each of the six races she sailed in, was also awarded the Hoop Pole Best Performance Award. It is given to the regatta participant, out of all classes (Opti, Sunfish, FJ, and Flying Scott), who had the best overall performance and sportsmanship.

At the starting line. From left to right, “Wacky”, the Triton Yachts Optimist sailed by Alexis Edwards, “Tacky”, from Deli Bistro/CMS Signs sailed by Nicole Edwards and “Grumpy” sponsored by the Three Musketeers and sailed by Jarrett Smith.

The two days of racing were organized by the Morehead Boating Club and took place near marker #7 “in the elbow” of Adams Creek. The racers had to contend with weather and a storm on Sunday which capsiszed many boats, including those being raced by adults.

The wins for the young sailors from Oriental come as the Bow to Stern Youth Sailing Camp headed in to its final week of sailing classes before closing for the summer. Jim Edwards says he hopes to have a number of the graduates take part in October’s Greens Creek Regatta, and to have still more kids learning how to sail when the camp re-opens next summer.

The Minnesott-Cherry Branch ferry took the sailors to, and from, the regatta. Here are most of the Optimist competitors and Geoff Hollings, one of the Three Musketeers who sponsored a boat in this summer’s youth sailing camp.

Posted Tuesday August 12, 2008 by Melinda Penkava