IODA Asian Optimist Championship 2012 (Sri Lanka) – Full Report

The 2012 IODA Asian Optimist Championships were held in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from 2nd – 10th June, sailing off the beach in the vicinity of the Chaaya Blu Hotel, and organised by the Yachting Association of Sri Lanka.

Below is a chronology of the week’s action.

June 9, 2012

The IODA Sri Lanka 2012 championship is over.

Jia Yi Loh had lead the fleat for half of the event, finishing most ofl the races in the top ten, and today was no exception. Even with a DSQ in the last race he couldn’t be caught. A 3rd in the first race of the day and a bullet in the second helped him keep a good difference in points with the second place.

Elisa Yukie Yokohama had been climbing in the ranking after a first and second day with ‘bad’ races (in which she’d finished 11th) and finally became the first girl and second overall.

Third overall and first non Asian sailor was Jack Parkin from the USA, whose worse finishing position was an 11th, proving once more how even the level of the top sailors was.

We would like to congratulate all sailors for their participation and endurance (12 races in +16 knots are not for everyone ; and to thank the organisers for making this event possible.

June 8, 2012

Good winds. IODA Sri Lanka 2012. Photo by Yolanda Cortés Mares.

Today’s wind was no exception to the +16-knot-speed rule, except for he beginning of race 3, which saw a decrease in speed. However, ‘the calm’ lasted till the middle of the race, when the breeze picked up again. The Race Committee managed to set the course so that all three races lasted the desired target time of 50 minutes.

Speaking about the finishing positions, races were totally dominated by the Singaporean sailors. Shuang Shuang Li from China won race 7 but the rest of the positions were for the members of team SIN.

After 9 races the top 5 positions are as follows:
Jia Yi Loh (SIN),1st, 24 points net
Elisa Yukie Yokoyama (SIN), 2nd, 35 points
Jessica Goh (SIN), 3rd, 42 points
Shuang Shuang Li (CHN), 4th, 43 points
Jack Parkin (USA), 5th, 43 points

Last three races to be sailed tomorrow Saturday 9th of June.

Shuang-Shuang Li (CHN), Jack Johansson (USA) and Jia Yi Loh (SIN). Photo by Yolanda Cortés Mares.

June 6, 2012

Back to the hotel after team races. IODA Sri Lanka 2012. Photo by Curly Morris.

The team races were conducted today in perfect wind conditions. Last year, Asian and non Asian teams had sailed separate events but this year due to the smaller number of teams from Asia and at the request of participants, all ten Asian and three non Asian teams sailed together, on the condition that the title was going to be awarded to the best Asian team, as stated in the IODA Conditions.

A total of 26 matches were conducted and arch rivals Thailand and Singapore met in the finals, a best of three contest.

Mark 3. IODA Sri Lanka 2012. Photo by Curly Morris.

The first race saw a clean sweep of the Thai Team, who captured all top 4 positions and won the race. The second race was for Singapore, who swept Thailand the same way Thailand had done on the previous race. The 3rd race was crucial and both teams showed agressive manouvres at the start line. The match was not defined till mark 3 where Singapore, displaying better team tactics, grabbed the top three positions and got hold of the Asian Team Race title.

Congratulations Singapore!!!

June 5, 2012

Many of the top sailors scored their worse result so far in today’s races, which they dropped when the single discard became effective with the completion of the sixth race. The leading positions varied from race to race and there is still no clear candidate for the title. Jia Yi Loh from Singapore has a 5 point advantage over Jack Johansson (USA), who is 3 points ahead of Shuang Shuang Li from China, third overall.

Among the girls, Singapore sailors Elisa Yokohama and Jessica Goh are 5th and 6th overall respectively, with just a single point between them.

Apart from China, USA and Singapore, the top ten is shared by two sailors from Thailand and one from Japan.

Celebrating World Environment Day. IODA Sri Lanka 2012.

Prior to the races the teams were invited to plant a tree to celebrate the World Environment Day. Contact with nature is one of the main characteristics of our sport and sailors were happy to join in the symbolic act.

Planting trees to celebrate World environment Day. IODA Sri Lanka 2012.

Days go by really quickly and tomorrow we already have the team races, much expected by all sailors and spectators. Teams are ranked according to team total scores, based on the points of the first four sailors of each country in the first five races.

June 4, 2012

The wind doesn’t leave Trincomalee!! The morning saw 26 to 30 knots and, while the strength decreased towards the start of the races, sailors still had to endure three races in 18 to 24 knots of wind, steady in strength but with 15 degree shifts in direction. The sea, however, was flat, making life easier (or at least not so difficult and tiring) for the younger and smaller sailors.

After these three races it is Jack Johansson (USA) who is leading the fleet after a 5th, a 1st and a 2nd. Jia Yi Loh from Singapore is in second place with two thirds and one sixth and in third position we have Jack Parking, from the USA as well. The other countries with sailors in the top ten are: Japan, China, New Zealand and Thailand.

June 3, 2012

Boats await the signal to launch. IODA Sri Lanka 2012. Photo by T. Hanada.

After a week with an average wind speed of 28 knots the weather settled and sailing conditions today were back to “normal”, allowing the sailors and the Race Committee to run a practice race on flat waters and a gentle breeze. We’ve been told that the temperature is rising and today was seriously hot, especially for the measurement team ashore.

IODA Measurer Curly Morris signs a hull. IODA Sri Lanka 2012.

Place the numbers correctly at IODA Sri Lanka 2012.

With the late entry of Malaysia (welcome MAS, we are glad that you’ve made your way to Trinco) the number of sailors has reached 78 and the number of countries to 13.

The Opening Ceremony was held at 1730 on the hotel beach. The event has officially begun and everybody is very anxious. Tomorrow the real challenge begins!!

Parade of local people in traditional costumes. Photo by T. Hanada.

May 31, 2012

Hosted by the Yachting Association of Sri Lanka, the Asian Optimist Championship 2012 will gather 74 sailors from 12 countries: China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Sri Lanka, plus Australia, Czech Republic, New Zealand and USA from outside of Asia. (view list of entries) The venue will be the Chaaya Blu Trincomalee resort, located on the East coast of the country, providing a fantastic sailing venue and tourist destination.

Trinco Beach, Sri Lanka. Resort beach with a perfect view of the racing area at IODA Sri Lanka 2012.

Paradise like beaches, tropical temperatures, winds blowing +10 knots and the warm hospitality of organisers and volunteers make us believe that this will be an unforgettable event. For those who are not lucky enough to be in Sri Lanka but who want to follow the championship, we are planning to run tracking of the races.

For more information, visit www.iodaasian2012.yasl.org, and for results, visit www.optiworld.org/MiniSite/12Asians/results.php.