Local sailors more than held their own at the Central Okanagan Sailing Association‘s (COSA) 38th Annual Springtime Regatta over the May long weekend on Okanagan Lake.
With 67 sailboats from around Western Canada competing in 10 different fleets, the COSA regatta is the Interior’s largest dinghy event. Competitors were not disappointed this year with excellent winds contributing to a busy weekend of fast-paced racing.
Race officer and coach, Elizabeth Hardy, ran over 10 races on the Optimist and Laser 4.7 course, challenging the 24 sailors, ages seven to fourteen.
Ian Wright of COSA won the 4.7 fleet, followed closely by teammates Ryan Rubadeau and Gabriella Littleton in second and third place, respectively. Ian’s brother, Kyle, and COSA sailors in general, proved equally fast in the Optimist White fleet for sailors 10-and-under.
Kyle Wright earned 1st in White fleet, followed by team members Max Ramsey in second and 8 year old brother Kai in fourth. Grace Sisett of COSA finished third.
The Optimist Blue fleet for sailors 11 and 12 years old was won by Charles Harland of Vancouver, followed by Victoria sailor Max Chapman in second and West Vancouver athlete Jordan Brown in third. The top Kelowna sailor in the Blue fleet was COSA sailor Olivier Parrott-Landry in 5th.
Optimist Red fleet for ages 13 -15 was also won by a Vancouver racer, thanks to consistent finishes by Auton Kultonov. COSA Race Team members Ava Halperin and Lauren Gray took second and third, respectively.
The main racing course was officiated by race officer, Ron Rubadeau, with COSA sailors once again demonstrating strong sailing skills. The Hobie 18 fleet was won by Alan Wright of COSA with alternating crews Julie Sisett, Lee Appleton, and Lael Parrot. Gillian Thomson and Nicole Ludzki, also of COSA, earned second place, while Paul Evenden and Sarah Issak of Cultus Lake placed third.
The X-Class Mono fleet saw 29er sailors Georgia Phillips and Henrik Parker of Vancouver take first place, with Debbie Kirby and Greg Ferguson from Calgary taking 2nd on their Fireball. Zacary Koehn and Henry Blue of Vancouver placed third on their 29er.
The Laser fleet was won by Maciej Mamon of Rossland, followed by Austin Steward of Vancouver, and Ian Hern of Calgary.
The RS Feva class was new to the race circuit, with COSA Race Team member, Tyler Rubadeau, and Vancouver crew Dallas Tanner earning fifth in a fleet that was eventually won by Vancouver sailors Tomas Harmer and Graham Maube. The Laser Radial fleet saw close battles throughout the regatta, with Josh Dean of Port Moody edging out COSA sailors Zane Halperin and Alizon Littleton of COSA. Josh also earned honours as top overall for the regatta.
Regatta Organizer and head coach, Devin Rubadeau, commented on the quality of the sailing and the strength of the local sailors. “Twelve podium spots were secured by COSA sailors, which bodes well for the coming race season,” Rubadeau said. “I was particularly impressed by Zane Halperin in the Radial Fleet and Ian Wright in the 4.7 fleet, who demonstrated that consistent, top finishes are possible thanks to their commitment to practice and positive on-water attitudes.”
The COSA Regatta was also the zone qualifier for the 2018 B.C. Summer Games. Qualifying athletes were Tyler Rubadeau, Kyle Wright, Ava Halperin, and Lauren Gray for Optimist’s, and triplets Mackenzie, Alizon, and Katherine Littleton, and Mitchell Ryan in Radials. The team will be coached by Devin Rubadeau.
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