The Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA) is pleased to announce the PricewaterhouseCoopers 2009 Bermuda Optimist Open and National Championship for junior sailors, which will take place Saturday November 28 and Sunday November 29. The event is hosted by the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC). Five fleet races are scheduled per day on the Great Sound.
The 2009 Bermuda Optimist Open and National Championship will have over 50 sailors, including almost 20 overseas sailors. A new feature this year will be the Green Fleet event for novice sailors, run by Tom Coleman of McLaughlin Boats, and expected to attract 20 young sailors from Bermuda and abroad. Tom runs these events all over the USA and is renowned for the energy he puts in and the fun he shows the kids. McLaughlin Boats is bringing in a container of charter boats for the overseas sailors.
The 2009 Bermuda Optimist Open and National Championship is a component of the 2009 International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) South American Championship Trials, which will be used to select the team to represent Bermuda in Uruguay in 2010. Bermuda’s sailors, who are aged between 8 and 15, come out of the local club programmes and also the Waterwise programme. The unique Waterwise programme introduces sailing and water skills to all Bermuda’s middle school students. This year 300 eleven year olds in Government Middle Schools learned to sail as part of their academic curriculum.
The Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association thanks PricewaterhouseCoopers for sponsoring the Championship for the second consecutive year and for many years of support by the donation of auditing services. Territory senior partner, Darren Johnston, says “PricewaterhouseCoopers is pleased to continue to support youth sailing in Bermuda.” BODA also thanks Bermuda Container Line for donating the transport of the container of charter boats, and numerous other invaluable supporters.
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