Easter Weekend Sailing News From San Pedro Sailing Club Belize

San Pedro Belize Sailing News. April 10, 2012

Race to the Hotel
On Easter Saturday, twelve intrepid members of the San Pedro Youth Sailing program, two in each boat, raced round trip between Caribbean Villas and The Hotel.  During intermission at the new Hotel’s Molly Malone’  Pub treated them to a leisurely and hardy lunch of hot dogs, mac & cheese, and drinks. Then the sailors changed crew mates and boats and raced back.  The races were for fun, but they were endurance tests of a constructive sort.

It is about five miles between the two resorts, making these the longest races the young San Pedro crews have been challenged by so far.  The race north is into the wind, which requires the most tactical course changes. On board the Playa Blanca boat, Kevin Velasquez and Jorge Oliverez led the entire way, only to discover an unlucky way to lose – one that their otherwise sage, adult instructors had neither anticipated, forewarned of, nor taught what to do about.  Hence Kevin & Jorge ran aground about 5 yards short of the finish line and were at a loss for a quick remedy! The Playa Blanca boat happened on a channel which allowed its lucky crew, Blanca Velasquez and Zizi Ayala, to skim by the grounded leaders and win by a nose. Faith Noel & Lily Hayden aboard Caribbean Villas arrived in 3rd place.

The return south is a downwind broad reach that requires finding and sailing the fastest but straightest of straight lines. Having scooted across the start before the whistle blew, rascals Blanca Velasquez and Jerdon Anderson aboard Playa Blanca decided to go sight-seeing by the reef, instead. Their experience kept them at a respectful distance from the reef, and the race safety boat, Colombelle, pursued and made absolutely sure that they were merely, um, “adventuring a bit wide of the course,” as the saying goes. First across the finish were Faith Noel and Lily Hayden in Caribbean Villas. Stephanie Keating with Kevin Velasquez took second in the Palapa Bar boat. Morgain Jones & Jorge Oliverez in Palo Alto crossed the line in third.

Easter Sunday Race results
Youth sailing returned to conventional racing on Easter Sunday. The results int eh final were:
1st Tiegan Jones in Palo Alto? 2nd Kevin Velasquez in Caribbean Villas Hotel? 3rd Mitch Sersland in San Pedro Weather.

Respectfully submitted,
Forrest Jones , Press Officer, San Pedro Sailing Club