Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee » Sailing

Youth Olympics: Bronze medal for Just v. Aanholt

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:01:18 +0000

Just van Aanholt, born on Curacao, was the last athlete competing at the Youth Olympics in Singapore. Before the last sailing race (Byte CII class), he was ranked 4th. With faith and motivation Just miraculously succeeded in winning the last race, and then won the Bronze Medal for the Netherlands Antilles.

Virgin Islander Ian Barrows sailed to gold in the boy’s Byte CII class. His score of 44 points gave him a 16-point margin of victory over Germany’s Florian Haufe, who claimed silver.
Just van Aanholt made it two Caribbean nation medals on the podium and was proud of his experience in Singapore.

“I feel very happy, at one moment I was looking back all the time, I’m just very happy. I think I’m going to celebrate with all my friends.” “The Caribbean sailors are having a very good generation!”

(Quotes from www.sailing.org)

Van Aanholt wins Laser 2009 Orange Bowl Youth Regatta

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:46:03 +0000

After four days of sailing 12 races, everyone was a winner at the 2009 Orange Bowl hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club. The weather had cooperated with lots of sunshine and wind. Co-Chairs Wendy Kamilar and Pat Ficaro set out the many awards and Registrar Carol Ewing filled the huge silver Trophy Bowl with oranges. Everyone was ready for trophies and the Magnus Liljedahl Sportsmanship Award. The 722 sailors cheered as Coral Reef Yacht Club (CRYC) Commodore Mark Kamilar and US sailing Olympians James Barton, Magnus Liljedahl and current US Sailing AlphaGraphic members, Zach Railey and Anna Tunnicliffe.

The Laser class had 192 competitors. In Laser 4.7s, Just Van Aanholt from Curacao was the winner with Germany’s Maximillian Stein in 2nd and Juanky Perdome from Puerto Rico in 3rd. The Laser Radial Class was won by St. Petersburg’s Mateo Vargas with a 5 point lead over Stefano Mazzaferro from Brasil and Michigan’s Mitchell Kiss in 3rd. The top girls in Laser Radial’s were Lauderdale Yacht Club’s Erika Reineke, Arielle deLisser from CRYC and Marissa Lihan of Lauderdale Yacht Club. John Wallace from St. Petersburg Yacht Club won the Laser Full-Rig Class with Lauderdale’s Andrew Fox in 2nd and Canada’s Ricardo Montemajor representing the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club in 3rd.

Source: sail-world.com
Picture: John Payne

Young Optimist sailers in action

admin — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:51:31 +0000

Sometimes young kids have big dreams and want to challenge themselves. 9 Optimist sailors between 11 and 15 years of age challenged themselves to sail in an Optimist of 2 ½ meter from “Klein Curacao” to Curacao. A 30 km crossing on open sea with high waves and strong winds. On Saturday 13 June 9 Curacao kids and their boats embarked the ‘Mermaid’, a motor vessel, and set off to the remote island of Klein Curaçao. Why did they want to challenge themselves? First of all to make the population more aware that around Curaçao, a small island within the Neterlands Antilles, we have splendid waters, which we should use to the fullest. Secondly to show that children are able to do more things than one frequently thinks. Also to have an intensive training for the Optinam 2009, with an emphasis on the down wind technique. And finally to raise money to participate in the North American Optimist Championships, the OPTINAM 2009 in the Dominican Republic.

After a briefing by coach Martin Jenkins, the sailors departed Klein Curaçao around 11:00 accompanied by 5 rescue boats. The conditions were perfect, force 4 to 5 and waves between 1.70 and 1.90 meter. Without any problems, just a couple of capsizes and nosedips, all sailors reached the Lions Dive Hotel safely around 16:30. Kevin van Otterdijk (14), Kevin Maas (13), Jarrik Bijsterbosch (13), Eugene (15) en Louis (13) Hendrikx, Deion (13) en Jorden (11) van Rooijen and Just (13) and Odile (11) van Aanholt can be very proud of themseleves. At the beach the team was welcomed by parents, family, friends, sponsors and the press. Mr Millerson and Mr van Wilgen of the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee presented the AHO flag to the team, congratulated them and whished them good luck at the OPTINAM 2009.