Young sailors go through 'rich' experience

All big achievements are the result of sweet dreams which men with foresight, imagination, competence and resources turn into reality.

Only a dream six years ago, where 25 competitors from 10 nations took part, the Dubai Junior Regatta this year attracted over 200 sailors from 18 nations, a feat which quite rightly endorses the organisers' portrayal of the event as 'the world's biggest junior sailing event'.

"This event has grown from year to year since it was first organised five years ago. It is now very well established and has become a popular event especially with the Scandinavian countries where the weather is very cold at this time of year," remarked Jean Paul Fleri Soler, Malta Young Sailors Club coach who was responsible for the Maltese sailors' participation.

"The quality of sailors it is attracting is now among the very best in the world. In fact, this year European champions Jes Lyhne Bonde from Denmark and Emma Oljelund from Sweden participated."

Originally in the year 2000 the Dubai Regatta started off as an Optimist Class event. Last year brought about the introduction of another class, the Laser 4.7, which is the ideal boat as the next step for ex-Optimist sailors to move on to.

In fact, this year the top world sailors in this class also participated, such as world champion Rudy McNeill, of South Africa.

The organisers this year went another step further and introduced match racing series which has given the regatta another dimension. This match racing specially-designed V1-30 Lutra Sports boat, manufactured in Dubai, is a high performance racer crewed with a maximum of six.

Mentioning foresight, one recalls a pre-event comment expressed by Saeed Hareb, Managing Director of Dubai International Marine Club, and the Regatta's Chief Executive.

"We'll be looking to host many of the world's top match-racing experts and at the same time encourage participation from the local sailing community.

"Ultimately we want to have local representation in the America's Cup," he said.

Malta, always present since the very first edition, this year attended with the largest team ever - eight Optimist and two Laser 4.7 sailors.

The sailing area just outside the Dubai marina and adjacent to The Palm Island is synonymous for its light and shifting winds and the current made this a very interesting but difficult event for the less experienced.

In the Optimist Class we had a relatively new team with little experience in international events. On the other hand, our top sailor Karl Cremona, who is 15 and in his final year in Optimist, would have preferred stronger winds as he is now getting quite big for the boat which makes it very difficult to keep up with others in light air. However, his experience could easily be spotted on the start line and when rounding marks as he always managed to get the better of opponents around him.

Best result

The best result came from Gabriel Pace (13). He finished 11th in the overall category. Pace was the most consistent sailor of the team and had he not been disqualified in the fourth race he would have made it to the top five.

In the female category, Ella Fleri Soler (13) finished fourth. Her overall performance was very good but a few bad results cost her dearly and lost her the third place and a podium result the Malta team was hoping for.

Her fourth race thrilled all immensely when she was leading the fleet of 91 boats for the majority of the race to finish in second place. This race will remain particularly memorable for Fleri Soler as it was her 13th birthday on the day.

So, after 12 races the top 10 in each category qualified for the final. This is the new Olympic format, introduced for the first time in the northern hemisphere in Dubai. It allows the top ten of each class to compete in one final race. This is sailed round a smaller course with more laps, to make it more exciting while rounding marks. Double points are given for this final race.

In the junior category (U-12), Thomas Zammit Tabona, who just turned 12 on the last day of the regatta, placed fifth after 12 races. This entitled him with a prestigious place in the final where he placed 9th.

The Laser 4.7 class programme was also characterised by light winds on all days with the top positions going to the most technical sailors. Elizabeth Apap Bologna (17) made it to the finals following an eighth placing on the 12-overall results. She had an exciting sail and in one race managed a third placing.

On the final day of racing our young sailors attained the following placing. The Optimist Class was contested by a fleet of 91 sailors. Gabriel Pace (age 13) - 11th, Karl Cremona (15) - 25th, Sean Borg (13) - 35th, Matthew Scicluna (14) - 54th, Lee Gauci (13) - 56th, Thomas Zammit Tabona (12) - 29th (5th Junior), Ella Fleri Soler (13) - 28th (4th female) and Sarah Manduca (12) - 77th.

There were 38 sailors in the Laser 4.7 Class with Richard Apap Bologna (15) placing 30th and Elizabeth Apap Bologna (17) - 32nd (8th female).

In Dubai, Peter Valentino was a member of the 14-strong panel of International Jury who were under the chairmanship of Tony Lockett from Great Britain.

Sean Borg expressed a factual comment on the team's return.

"This was my first international regatta with such high level of sailors. It has been a great experience for me and I am sure that I will perform better now that I have competed in such a fleet," he said. "I need to practice my starts and be more patient."

Fantastic, what a cool attitude these young sailors have. Cheerful with performance, value experience gained, determined to improve and looking forward to the next challenge... undoubtedly sentiments unanimously shared by all on the Malta team and encouraged by the enthusiastic parents behind the Malta Young Sailors Club whose dedication is making all this happen.