FBYC Fall Opti Race Team at Camp Sea Gull. Left to right: Madeline Amthor, Guthrie Braun, Benton Amthor, Nathan Smith, Reed McAllister, William Cornell, John Vail, Coach Bob Lippincott, Chase Brewer, Josh Bendura, and Ava Cornell

This past weekend, September 19th & 20th, our Fall Opti Race Team dominated at the 2015 USODA Southeast Championship! The regatta was held at Camp Sea Gull, on the Neuse River, in North Carolina. There were 86 boats on the water, and all of our kids had outstanding finishes, including 2nd, 4th and 5th! That is 3 in the top 5! Benton Amthor was 2nd overall, Nathan Smith was 4th overall, and Guthrie Braun was 5th overall. In addition, Reed McAllister was 1st in the White Fleet. We had a total of 10 kids who made the trip, and 6 scored in the top 23, qualifying them for the 2016 USODA Team Trials! Even our youngest and least experienced sailors did outstanding!

Benton Amthor-2nd Overall & 2nd Red

Until three years ago, Camp Sea Gull had never hosted a major junior regatta, when the Camp won the bid to host the 2012 Southeast Championship. That regatta was run so well, and was so successful, that this year’s event drew kids from across the Southeast, including Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida; and as far north as New York.

Nathan Smith-4th Overall & 3rd Red

The racing was awesome! On Saturday the wind was steady from the NE in the upper teens, with heavy chop on the Neuse River, with unlimited fetch. Sunday the winds laid down to under 10 knots. The USODA sends its own professional Principle Race Officer to its regattas, and local clubs and organizations provide the man power. For this reason, sailors can depend on USODA events to be well run and safe. In addition to the racing, the shore facilities and organization was outstanding at Camp Sea Gull. Several of the families stayed in the cottages at the Camp, and ate on site in the cafeteria; while others rented cottages nearby. The camp runs various programs through the fall, and utilized its professional staff to run the regatta. We had the run of the beautiful grounds, with a sandy beach for launching and a ramp for the coach RIBS. Our parents and kids agreed that it was the best regatta they have ever attended!

Guthrie Braun-5th Overall & 2nd Blue

Of the 10 kids we had racing, 6 finished in the top quarter, which qualified them for the 2016 USODA Team Trials. The Team Trials is a single invitational regatta held yearly in the spring to set the international teams representing the United States for the coming year. A separate regatta is held in the fall to set the teams for the early spring regattas. Only the top quarter of the finishers at the various USODA events are invited to the Team Trials, and based on their performance at Team Trials, are then invited to join the international teams. Benton, Nathan, and Guthrie had qualified at earlier regattas; and at the Southeast Championship, John Vail, Reed McAllister and William Cornell also qualified. All together, FBYC has qualified 10 members to race at the 2016 Team Trials! In 2015 we had 5 kids compete at Team Trials, and 4 received invitations to represent the US in international regattas, with 2 accepting and competing overseas. 

Reed McAllister-1st White

We have posted photos from the regatta on the FBYC Flickr page in the 2015 Fall Race Team Album, at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fbyc/albums/72157658469091848. You can also view and download many more photos of our team members on the Camp Sea Gull Facebook Page at: www.facebook.com/SeaGullSeafarer. It is easy to pick out our kids-they are the ones in the FBYC Junior Sailing pennies and are usually leading the pack!

Final Results-86 Optis sailing
Overall 2nd: Benton Amthor (2nd in Red Fleet); 4th: Nathan Smith (3rd in Red Fleet); 5th: Guthrie Braun (2nd in Blue Fleet); 20th: John Vail; 22nd: Reed McAllister (1st in White Fleet); 23rd: William Cornell; 28th: Josh Bendura; 55th: Madeline Amthor; 63rd: Ava Cornell.

Chase Brewer, who raced on our Opti Development Team in 2015, sailed in his first USODA Regatta, and loved it!