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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Sailing: third Eden Island Optimist Cup-Hoareau retains title |12 September 2012

Sailing: third Eden Island Optimist Cup-Hoareau retains title

Hoareau with her glass trophy and certificateFemale sailor Alison Hoareau got her feet wet against her four opponents before winning with four points and she has to thank Ryan Alcindor – the youngest sailor at 10 years old – for robbing Jean-Luc Lebon of a possible runner-up finish in the third and decisive race.

After finishing second in the first race behind Lebon, Hoareau reached the finish line of the second race in first position and Lebon was the runner-up.

Going into the third race around buoys and with the wind blowing at a speed of between 10 and 14 knots, Hoareau and Lebon were tied on three points for first place, while Alcindor (fifth and third places), Daniella De Silva (third and fifth places) and Martin Servina (two fourth places) were joint-third on eight points.

The third fleet race proved vital as Hoareau came in first, Alcindor second, Lebon third, De Silva fourth and Servina fifth.

Hoareau thus took first place overall with four points, relegating 14-year-old Lebon to second place with five. Alcindor, 10, finished third with 10 points, De Silva, 16, fourth with 12 and Servina, 15, fifth with 13.

Once back on dry land, Hoareau said: “It can’t get much better than that. The shifty and windy condition did not make things easy and I had to work on getting the advantage.

“All of the competitors were really good, but I believe the competition would have been more interesting if other sailors had taken part.”

Hoareau, who along with Lebon, Servina and Alcindor represented Seychelles at the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) African Championships in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, was presented with her glass trophy and certificate by Eden Island representative Laura Lotter.

Runner-up Lebon and third place finisher Alcindor also received glass trophies and certificates, while fourth and fifth place finishers De Silva and Servina only got certificates.

On behalf of Seychelles Yachting Association, chairman Alain Alcindor thanked Eden Island for sponsoring the regatta for a third time and said he hopes it will continue to do so for many years to come.

SAILING TO VICTORY … Alison Hoareau

Ryan De Silva, Daniella’s brother, was the winner of the inaugural Eden Island Optimist Cup in 2009 and Hoareau succeeded him as the champion in 2010. The regatta was not organised last year.
The sailors, organisers and guests later enjoyed snacks and drinks sponsored by Eden Island.

G. G.

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