Thirteen-year-old Mollee Donovan, the British Virgin Island's top female optimist sailor, represented the BVI at the 10th International Sailing Regatta at the Club Náutico de San Juan in Puerto Rico. The regatta took place over three days from Feb. 4-6, and was attended by many of the top youth sailors from throughout the region.
Mollee, who is a cadet member and racer at the Royal BVI Yacht Club Youth Sailing Programme, was awarded the regatta trophy for Top Girl Optimist sailor.
Races were conducted in challenging conditions, especially on day two, ensuring that the young sailors were tested to the limit. There were nine races overall, with one discard allowed. Mollee achieved the highly respectable position of seventh place in the Red Fleet and 8th Place overall out of 18. She also won first place Top Girl Optimist Advanced Fleet.
The first race on Friday was delayed owing to a bad squall passing through. It continued to be windy and rainy on the Saturday, resulting in another delayed start to the races and an early finish. In fact the weather ensured that only three races were completed on the Saturday of the regatta. Prevailing winds of 25-30 knows were experienced throughout the weekend, making conditions extremely tough for the young competitors.
The BVI can be very proud of Mollee’s achievements at the regatta, and we look forward to hearing of her exploits in her next regatta.
For more information on the Royal BVI Yacht Club, please visit their website at www.royalbviyc.org.
