Five young Bermudians mount impressive fightback in tricky winds to rise up leaderboard in Punta del Este
Five of Bermuda’s six young sailors produced an impressive collective fightback on Wednesday, surging up the leaderboard during a challenging day of racing at the 54th Optimist South American Championship in Punta del Este.
Tricky wind conditions in Maldonado Bay restricted the 180-boat fleet to a single completed race, taking the regatta series to three races with Argentina’s Tomás Calvo emerging as the overall leader.
The shifting breezes played into the hands of the Bermudian contingent, sparked by an inspired showing from Alfie Jansma. Starting the day 156th, Jansma crossed the line seventh to leap 45 places up the standings into 111th overall on 106 points.
Jesse Savage gained 29 spots to move into 66th after taking ninth on the water, while Rex Henagulph rebounded from opening-day penalty setbacks to finish tenth, lifting himself 16 places into 48th.
Heath Meyers remains Bermuda’s front-runner, placing 16th to rise to 33rd on 44 points. Elaine Jones, the sole female sailor in the delegation, crossed 29th to climb 14 spots to 132nd, while Aaron Riker slipped to 151st after placing 53rd.
