The Bahamas Sailing Association (BSA) this week named the team that will represent the country next month at the 2019 Optimist North American Championship (OPTINAM) Championships.
The event takes place in Nassau at Montagu Bay from September 27 to October 4, and is open to sailors ages 12-15.
Team Bahamas is made up by: Scarlett McCarroll, Mary Jac Nash, Jack Guinness (Abaco), Amy McSweeney, Saoirse Duffy, Patrick Tomlinson, Matthew Reid, Zane Munro, Maison Koepke (Abaco), Davis Huber, Jasmin Aberle (Abaco), Finley Lambert McKinney, Cameron Eldon, Craig Ferguson, Kaemen Floyd and Joshua Weech.
Weech will serve as the captain with Keir Clarke as the head coach. Clarke will be assisted by Juan Carlos.
“Qualification has been tough, but it has been extremely fair – three regattas and what we’re looking at is the 16 best,” Clarke said. “The senior members are absolutely honored. You’ve got Joshua Weech, three-time national champion. He’s been focusing this year on bigger events, so, he’s done worlds, he’s been to Bermuda, he’s done some other international clinics. On the big stage, the kids need the international regatta experience. Their boat handling and their skills are actually very, very good but you put these same Bahamian kids in a fleet with a hundred boats and it becomes very clear that we might not be as up there as the other nations.
