Optimist World Championship 2021

WORDS: EMILY POLSON | IMAGES: MATIAS CAPIZZANO

After waiting for more than a year since my first selection to represent Hong Kong at the World Championships in 2020 (which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to COVID-19), we were so fortunate to finally compete in 2021. The event took place at Lake Garda, Italy from 30 June to 10 July.

Despite the pandemic, quarantine and the obstacles around international travel, five sailors qualified to represent Hong Kong at the 2021 Optimist world Championships at Fraglia Vela Riva in Riva del Garda at the northern end of the amazing Lake Garda, Trentino, Italy. I was the only sailor from Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and the only female sailor on the team. The other sailors were Peter Jessop and Seb Van Ommeren from the Hebe Haven Yacht Club, Ethan Kong and Vernon Ha from the Aberdeen Boat Club, we were able to get vaccinated and travel to Italy in order to represent Hong Kong as the 2021 Optimist Sailing Team.

We were very lucky to be coached by Bird Bhanubandh (“Bird”) from Thailand who had been at Lake Garda for a few months already with some of the Thai sailors and already knew the conditions well and helped us prepare for the event through taking part in 2 Pre-worlds regatta’s and arranged daily training clinic’s with other countries and some amazing sailors and coaches such as Marco Gradoni (3x world Optimist Champion), Sven Stadel and Mauro Berteotti to compliment his own coaching skills.

The first 3 days of the Championships was the some of the most emotional and competitive sailing I have ever done, with the 255 boats being broken into 4 flights, I quickly learnt that what I would usually call a keeper being a top 20 result was not going to be enough to make Gold Fleet which was my goal, after day 1 with a 19 and a 27th I found myself in 104th, with some strong races over the next two days I was still in contention for Gold Fleet but on the last race of day 3 most of the Hong Team had really bad starts and in turn we all had another bad results and with only 1 drop available it meant we had to carry a bad race and we all missed Gold Fleet.

and our races were very close to our opponents. The first race we went against Argentina. We almost beat them but due to a couple penalties on the last upwind we did not get the win. The loss motivated us to do better and make sure that we got less penalties while still getting penalties on the other teams. Due to the fact we lost against Argentina we were going to face Bermuda. Off the start we got a couple of good penalties, but the second upwind Bermuda managed to give us a few more penalties, which led to another loss, but we were still happy because we gave it our best shot.

After losing both races on Day 4, it meant Day 5 was our only rest day. We were supposed to go out on the water and watch the other team’s race, however the race officials would not allow us to do that, even if we took a private RIB, due to Covid restrictions. As an alternative, we took the RIB out and went to this amazing waterfall, where all the Glacier water would go into the lake, making the water very cold. We also went exploring and did a lot of swimming. It was a great day and by the next day we were ready to win whatever fleet we made.

During the last few days, it all came down to final fleet racing. It was our last chance to get a better result. After the qualifying races, Peter qualified for the silver fleet, Seb, Ethan, and I qualified for the bronze fleet, and Vernon qualified for the emerald fleet. On the first day of the finals, it was typical Garda weather, with the Ora wind coming through by noon, choppy waves, and strong wind. By this stage, we were familiar with these conditions and our races were satisfactory. We had an idea of where we were in the fleet and hoped to improve our results. However, on the second day, huge dark clouds were forming when we got to the club, scattered around the whole lake from North to South. A massive storm was forecasted to arrive at 5 pm, which limited the races we could do due to safety protocols.

The race committee was planning for three races to cover up for the previous day’s minimal races. However, the huge storm from the last day caused the Ora wind to be blocked once again, making the wind die down. After some long hours of waiting, the wind finally picked up, and we were able to get one more race in; however, due to the restriction of time and “smart” decisions by the race committee, we did not do the three races planned. Our results on the Final day were above average, and I managed to win the last race of the event in bronze fleet finishing the regatta on a high note.

At the closing ceremony we were able to trade our team kits and socialize with other teams from different countries. It was a great way to end the event, but eventually, good times had to come to an end, and we had to return to Hong Kong for 14 days quarantine.

In Summary the conditions were very challenging in Lake Garda. It took a lot of getting used to because in Hong Kong we do not get such strong winds so often. The level of the competition was brutal, and the start was really challenging everybody would barge into you, shouting and screaming at you and trying to intimidate and scare you. Lake Garda is famous for the Ora and Peler wind, which is our favourite wind, it blows from the north, starts at around six in the morning every day, and can blow anywhere from 6 to 25 knots with shifty conditions. The waves are big for a lake. We competed aggressively on the water but, once ashore but once ashore we were best mates with our teammates and other competitors, and we socialized with people and friends from all over the world. Our favourite part was visiting the waterfall which was beautiful, and the water was very refreshing. We rented bikes, which gave us some freedom to explore, and we cycled to dinner most nights.

It was rewarding to learn and work together to become a united team. I look back on the disappointing races as learning opportunities, and the spectacular races with pride. In the end, I did not manage to achieve my main goal, but I have learnt a lot and want to come back stronger next time. We had an amazing closing ceremony, sadly I had to say bye to all of my new friends. Looking back at the event I wish I was more physically fit and had of been able to come earlier to get used to the strong conditions and train more with other sailors and coaches from the other Countries.

I am so thankful that I was able to go to Lake Garda. On behalf of the whole team, I want to say a big thanks to our coach Bird who coached and guided us through tough times and for all the high moments. He always gave us top tips and he was always very calm and chilled if we had a bad race. Thanks, James for being a great team leader, and thanks for supporting and helping us. Thank you, parents, for bringing us and supporting us. Big thanks J sail for all of your support over the past year and at the event this year, to Hong Kong Sailing Federation and Hong Kong Optimist Dinghy Association. The World Championship was an incredible experience and one I will never forget.