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 News from Around Banderas Bay | July 2007 
Competition Heats Up Midway Through Optinam 2007
 Kathy Taylor - PVNN
| | One hundred and eighty five competitors from 19 countries are competing in Optinam 2007, which continues through July 15th in Banderas Bay. (Edgar Esparza) | 
| | Great sailing skills by USA sailor Axel Jacob (Jay Ailworth) | 
| | Nicole Barnes of the US Virgin Islands rounds the reaching mark. (Jay Ailworth) | 
| | Big Black Clouds... Small White Boats (Edgar Esparza) |
Midway through the Optinam 2007 Championships in Nuevo Vallarta, Raúl Rios of Puerto Rico is in first place with a nine point lead over Nicole Barnes of the US Virgin Islands. Thomas Brauer of Argentina is in third. Top Mexican sailor is Javier Patron who sits in 25th place.
One hundred and eighty five competitors from 19 countries are competing in Optinam 2007. The competition officially opened on July 8th when Governor Ney Gonzales welcomed the sailors and their support teams to Riviera Nayarit.
On Day One, July 9th, racing was abandoned when the wind shut down just after the third heat got off the line. The Sailing Instructions limit the time for boats getting to the first mark to 30 minutes. The third heat was not able to make the mark due to the wind velocity dropping to 3.5 knots and a foul countercurrent of almost 2 knots; this effectively stalled the fleet.
Sailors spent a long Day Two on the water, and in spite of shifting winds and course changes, four races were completed. US Virgin Islands Nicole Barnes captured top spot, Raul Rios of Puerto Rico was sitting a very close second, and Argentinian Juan Autelli ended the day only 2 points behind in third place. Top Mexican sailor was Javier Patron in 7th place.
Three races were completed on July 11th, Day Three. Light winds marked the beginning of racing, but picked up to 12 knots in the last race of the day giving the sailors a chance to race their best in perfect conditions. Raul Rios of Puerto Rico sits in first place after 7 races completed, trading top spot with Nicole Barnes of US Virgin Islands who had an unfortunate 19th place finish in the last race. Top Mexican Javier Patron dropped to 25th place.
Sailors had a break from Individual Racing on Day Four, July 12th, and competed in Team Racing. Despite a course set inside the marine basin, strong winds allowed only 9 of the 32 races to be completed. Team racing will conclude on July 13th.
Paradise Village Resort and Marina is a great venue for the Championship. The Operations Centre for the event is in the Convention Centre, a buzzing hive of activity where sailors, coaches and officials meet, use the internet, shop at the Opti merchandise store, and make new friends.
Riviera Nayarit offers an exciting variety of activities for visitors. During their free time, these young sailors are sightseeing, visiting a local water park, and even disco dancing at a special disco night held just for them! Racing continues until Saturday July 14th, and can be watched from the beaches of Nuevo Vallarta.
 Kathy Taylor is a world traveler, sailor, writer, and cook. Before coming to Vallarta, she lived and worked in the Arctic for CBC Radio Northern Service and was the editor of Churchill's weekly Taiga Times. For 11 years she was Captain Kate of High Boats Café fame in Vancouver, then went on to spend 5 years as owner/chef of Wild Thyme Catering. After that, she spent four years sailing the Pacific Northwest and the Mediterranean, writing about sailboats and her experiences, as well as editing Bluewater Cruising's monthly magazine, "Currents." Following her love of food, sailing and charitable causes, Kathy continues her writing career here in Vallarta as a valuable member of the BanderasNews Team. |
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