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Tuesday, May 26, 2026
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Youth Sailors Impress at North American Championships
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The 2026 Optimist North American Championship is well underway in Nova Scotia, Canada, with a nine-strong contingent from Bermuda battling hard against the elite of regional youth sailing. Hosted by the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, the event has tested the tactical limits of the international fleet across a grueling opening block of racing.
Monday shifted the focus to high-stakes team racing, where Bermuda’s young sailors demonstrated immense grit and strategic discipline. Bermuda Team One, featuring Jesse Savage, Heath Meyers, Rex Henagulph, Miguel Leite, and Alfie Jansma, enjoyed a highly successful day on the water. The unified group produced fantastic performances to defeat formidable opponents from Canada, the United States, and Puerto Rico, before eventually bowing out to a strong Canada Number One squad. Bermuda Team Two also fought tenaciously in their brackets but eventually fell to sharp tactical maneuvers from United States Team Three and Mexico Team Three.
In the individual fleet standings following seven races, Heath Meyers has established himself as the standard-bearer for the island's contingent. Meyers sits in a highly commendable 21st place overall with 90 net points, a baseline highlighted by a magnificent third-place finish in the third race of the series.
Jesse Savage leads a tightly bunched pack of teammates further down the leaderboard in 54th place with 169 net points, followed closely by Rex Henagulph in 68th with 102 net points. Elaine Jones is currently the top Bermudian female performer in 71st place with 107 net points, sitting just one slot ahead of Miguel Leite in 72nd with 108 net points.
Rounding out the island's scorecard after a testing opening sequence in Canadian waters are Calypso Coulter in 102nd with 149 net points, Walker Smith in 106th with 163 net points, Alfie Jansma in 136th with 150 net points, and Ishmael Dill in 141st with 164 net points. The valuable international mileage accumulated provides an excellent platform as the fleet splits for the upcoming championship rounds.
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Sunday, May 24, 2026
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A Spectacular Return to St. George’s for Fitted Dinghy's
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 Victory IV Skipper & Crew IslandStats.com
With light winds testing the tactical limits of the island's unique four-boat fleet, the opening day of the season delivered on its reputation for high-octane drama, chaotic spinnaker runs, and intense local rivalries. When the final flags were lowered, three different syndicates walked away with silverware in a remarkably balanced afternoon of racing.
The opening race of the day saw Alan Frith lay down an authoritative early-season marker, skippering St. George's Dinghy and Sports Club's Victory IV to a magnificent triumph to claim the coveted Heritage Trophy.
Frith executed a flawless start on his home waters, managing the tricky harbor drafts beautifully to hold off a furious challenge from the chasing pack. Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club’s (RHADC) Challenger II crossed the line to secure a strong second-place finish, while Contest III and Elizabeth II rounded out the initial scorecard.
The competitive pendulum swung rapidly in the second race of the program, the Anniversary Cup, as the west-end representatives fought back in style. Josh Greenslade produced a tactical masterclass at the helm of the Sandys Boat Club flagship, sailing Contest III to a clinical victory.
Greenslade outmaneuvered a resilient Elizabeth II in the closing tack to relegate them to second, with Challenger II settling for third and opening-race winners Victory IV slipping to the back of the pack in fourth.
The final piece of silverware on offer, the Leon D. Fox Cup, belonged entirely to youth and Olympic aspiration. Sebastian Kempe, fine-tuning his tactical awareness ahead of his international summer commitments, showcased his world-class pedigree by skippering Challenger II to an emphatic victory.
Kempe's aggressive line selection paid dividends as he held off Greenslade's Contest III in a thrilling bow-to-bow drag race to the finish line.
While the spoils were evenly distributed among three of the competing syndicates, the afternoon proved to be a thoroughly testing and frustrating assignment for Roger Beach and the crew of Elizabeth II.
Despite displaying excellent baseline speed across the water—highlighted by a competitive second-place finish in the Anniversary Cup—Beach's crew found themselves as the only syndicate not to taste the ultimate glory of a victory on the opening day.
Heritage Trophy
Victory IV
Challenger II
Contest III
Elizabeth II
Anniversary Cup
Contest III
Elizabeth II
Challenger II
4. Victory IV
Leon D. Fox Cup
Challenger II
Contest III
Elizabeth II
4. Victory IV
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Thursday, May 21, 2026
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St. George’s Harbor Braced for Opening Fitted Dinghy Season
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The historic waters of St. George’s Harbor will be transformed into a vibrant canvas of white canvas and frantic tactical racing this Sunday, as the highly anticipated 2026 Bermuda Fitted Dinghy race season officially gets underway.
As one of the island's most fiercely contested and deeply rooted maritime traditions, the opening day of the season always draws passionate crowds. Spectators will line the shores and pack onto charter boats to watch the unique, heavily canvased wooden craft test the physical limits of their crews.
The high-stakes opening event of the campaign is being proudly hosted by the St. George’s Dinghy & Sports Club, with the home team eager to set a dominant tone on their familiar eastern waters.
The fleet faces a demanding and packed itinerary on opening day, with three individual races scheduled to put crew endurance and boat handling to an immediate test.
The action on the water begins promptly at 12 noon with the staging of the historic Heritage Trophy Race, where teams will look to shake off any off-season rust and claim the very first silverware of 2026.
There will be little time for tactical reflection or structural adjustments, as the fleet will re-gather at 1:30 PM for the start of the high-octane Anniversary Cup race.
The day's grueling schedule will reach its grand finale at 3:00 PM, concluding with the prestigious Leon D. Fox Cup race. With the handicap and points system heavily punishing any early-season mishaps, every tack, hoist, and bailing shift will be critical as the teams look to launch an immediate assault on the overall season leaderboard.
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Wednesday, May 20, 2026
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Air Force Soars to Victory Again in Hamilton Harbor Thriller
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On a clear and calm Wednesday evening, the latest round of the highly competitive Wednesday night sailing series took to the waters of Hamilton Harbor. Conditions just off the Hamilton Princess dock were idyllic, offering a gentle breeze and flat waters that set the stage for a masterclass in tactical navigation and precision racing.
There was early drama at the front of the fleet as Nasty Medicine put on a roaring display of pure speed. They were the very first boat to physically cross the finish line, clocking an impressive elapsed time of 1:05:05.
However, the brutal reality of the handicap system soon crushed their celebrations. Once the math was settled, a corrected time of 1:11:23 saw Nasty Medicine plummet all the way down to a sobering 13th place on the night, proving that cross the line first doesn't always guarantee silverware.
Instead, it was the clinical crew of Air Force who stole the headlines yet again. Showcasing the flawless consistency that has made them the boat to beat this series, they navigated the harbor beautifully to stop the clock with a winning corrected time of 1:08:22.
It was far from comfortable, however, as they were pushed all the way by a relentless chasing pack. Air Force just managed to edge out Menace, who had to settle for a fighting second place after registering a corrected time of 1:08:58.
The podium was completed by Tribune, who crossed the digital line a mere eight seconds later with a corrected time of 1:09:06 to secure third.
Just outside the podium places, Scatteraction claimed a commendable fourth place in 1:09:22, while Yabsta rounded out the top five on the night after clocking a corrected time of 1:10:12. With the margins thinning at the top of the leaderboard, the next round promises even more high-stakes drama under the setting Bermuda sun.
2026 Wednesday Night Sailing Race Day 6
1:08:22 Airforce
1:08:58 Menace
1:09:06 Tiburon Etchells
1:09:22 Scatteraction
1:10:12 Yabsta
6 RS 21 3 LEACH RS21
1:10:13 Critter Etchells
1:10:41 RS 21 2 REDBURN
1:11:02 Back in Black
1:11:04 RS 21 4 REID
1:11:05 Fat Tuesday
1:11:13 Passion
1:11:23 Nasty Medicine
1:11:55 Windfire
1:12:28 RS 21 1 NEAME
1:12:37 Lix
1:12:56 Jitterbug
1:13:07 Lorato Makato
1:13:23 RS 21 5 FRANK
1:14:07 Shogun
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Wednesday, May 20, 2026
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Ebbin Seals National Finals Spot for Tulane
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The prestigious College Open Eastern National Semifinals have drawn to a dramatic close, with host South Florida delivering a masterclass in high-stakes sailing. Crews from across the region pushed their 420 fleets to the absolute limit, battling relentless coastal winds and shifting currents for a coveted spot in the upcoming national finals.
When the final tallies were settled, a spectacular finish from Christian Ebbin helped guide Tulane University to a podium finish, while PJ Rodrigues and Jordan Vieira endured a grueling regatta to place 16th with Eckerd College.
It was a regatta defined by tactical maturity and exceptional consistency for Christian Ebbin and the Tulane University team. Throughout the event, Tulane remained firmly in the upper echelons of the standings, accumulating just 90 points to secure a brilliant third-place finish overall.
Ebbin was the undisputed catalyst for that podium charge. Competing in a relentless B Division, he navigated crowded start lines and heavy traffic with immense composure.
His crowning moment came in the final race of the regatta. Under intense pressure, Ebbin produced a flawless tactical drive to cross the line first, sealing a magnificent race win. That grand finale locked his boat into eighth place in the B Division with 42 points, providing the crucial mathematical edge Tulane needed to book their ticket to the national finals.
Further down the leaderboard, it proved to be an uphill struggle for the Eckerd College contingent. Facing the elite of collegiate sailing, the duo of Rodrigues and Vieira fought hard but ultimately concluded their campaign in 16th place overall.
Rodrigues took on the daunting challenge of spearheading Eckerd's A Division boat. It proved to be a punishing shift on the water, with Rodrigues fighting through a dense fleet to finish 16th in his division on 89 points.
On the adjacent course, teammate Vieira commanded the Eckerd 'B' boat campaign. Finding slightly cleaner air in the early exchanges, Vieira put together a battling performance to secure 16th place in the B Division with 74 points.
While Eckerd will look to regroup and unlock more pace from their 420 fleet in the off-season, Ebbin and Tulane fly home with their heads held high and their eyes firmly fixed on the National Championship.
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