Photo: COSA

Sailors compete in the Central Okanagan Sailing Association Springtime Regatta

The waters were choppy but it definitely put the wind in the sails of competitors at this weekend’s Central Okanagan Sailing Association’s annual Springtime Regatta.

Sailors from across Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest took to Okanagan Lake on Saturday and Sunday.

It was a good outing for COSA coach Ian Wright who finished tops in the Laser (ILCA 7) class and first overall for the regatta. He even beat out his dad, Alan Wright, who came in right behind him. Spencer Hill of Vancouver was third.

Race organizer Devin Rubadeau praised the athletes and volunteers. “It was a very stormy weekend, making running races difficult,” said Rubadeau. “Steve Brunsden, our Principal Race Officer, and his on-water team did an exceptional job getting off nine races for some fleets. Sailing was exceptionally fast thanks to the gusty conditions.”

Here are some other results from the weekend of racing:

• The Laser Radial (ILCA 5) division saw COSA’s Logan Wright edge out club coach Gemma Wentworth in a tight finish to claim top honours.
• The Hobie 18 class featured tight multihull action, with Paul Evenden and Marabelle Sutcliffe of Cultus Lake taking the win over Washington State sailors Don Atchley and Lilah Fitzgerald. COSA’s Brishen Holmes-Slattery and Josh Dean sailed consistently to finish third.
• In the Optimist White Fleet, COSA’s youth sailors dominated, with Soli Ramsey finishing first, followed by teammate Amelia Thomas.
• In the Optimist Blue Fleet, Sawyer Watters of COSA claimed a commanding first-place finish in challenging, gusty conditions.
• In the X-Class, Vancouver sailors Travis Lyne and Jungmi Yang sailed their RS Vision to victory, narrowly beating out Hamish Ferguson of Calgary on his Seaspray. Third place went to Vernon’s Marc Reinarz and Laurie Champagne on their Nacra catamaran.

The regatta also served as the BC Laser Masters Championships. Alan Wright of COSA won the title ahead of Spencer Hill and Trevor Owen of Kamloops.

Photo: COSA

Conditions were stormy for the racers