Ferguson to skip ‘Regatta of Champions’ for OPTINAMs

Home|Sports|Ferguson to skip ‘Regatta of Champions’ for OPTINAMsSports

Simba French Send an emailAugust 18, 2022 113 1 minute readFacebook Twitter LinkedIn Share via Email

Young Bahamian sailor Craig Ferguson who finished first in the silver fleet at the Optimist World Championships in Bodrum, Turkey, last month, has been invited to the ‘Regatta of Champions’ in Cyprus in November, featuring the top 40 Optimist sailors from around the world, but Ferguson has decided to skip that event in favor of the Optimist North American Championships here in Nassau, The Bahamas, at the same time.

Following his outstanding recent performance, placing first in the silver fleet at the Optimist World Championships in Bodrum, Turkey, last month, 15-year-old sailor Craig Ferguson has been offered a prestigious invitation to participate in a brand new international event, the ‘Regatta of Champions’, scheduled to take place in Cyprus in November.

Not only did Ferguson finish top in his fleet of 69 boats, but he also finished sixth overall out of all the North American participants in the competition of over 270 global sailors.

The idea behind the ‘Regatta of Champions’ is to gather together the top 40 Optimist sailors from around the world to participate in a regatta to crown an annual ‘Champion of the Bests’. After the completion of all Continental, American, Asian, African and World Championships, invitations are being sent out to the top finishers in each.

An impressive prize fund of €40,000 will be split among the top 12 finishing sailors and the top three coaches in the form of scholarships for academic expenses and substantial monetary awards.

Unfortunately, after due consideration, Ferguson is graciously declining the invitation. The dates of the event clash with the OPTINAMs (the Optimist North American Championships) which is being hosted here in Nassau, The Bahamas, at the same time. He has made the decision of loyalty to the Bahamas National Sailing School and his home racing team to stay in Nassau and compete in what is also a very significant event on the sports calendar.

The OPTINAMs will take place November 13-20 and will be hosted by the Nassau Yacht Club. It is set to attract at least 160 sailors from over 20 countries to New Providence and will be the largest ever sailing event held in The Bahamas.

The Bahamas National Sailing School and the Bahamas Sailing Association highly commend Ferguson’s decision and wish him continued success in his sporting achievements.

https://thenassauguardian.com/ferguson-to-skip-regatta-of-champions-for-optinams/

Start a Conversation Cancel reply