VI sailor Thad Lettsome competes at Hempel World Cup Series 2019

February 6, 2019 by

By RBVIYC

BVI’s Thad Lettsome placed 88th at the Hempel World Cup Series 2019, Miami, USA Jan 27 – Feb 3. Photo copyright: Sailing energy/World Sailing

Thad Lettsome from the Virgin Islands placed 88th in the Laser class at the Hempel World Cup Series 2019 in Miami, USA  (January 27 – February 3). The top three places went to Hermann Tomasgaard (Norway) 1st, Sam Meech (New Zealand) 2nd, and Tom Burton (Australia) 3rd.

Competing at his first elite regatta at just 16 years of age, Lettsome raced in a fleet of 101 Lasers (the equipment used at the Olympic Games) including Olympic medalists and world champions.  Conditions were tricky throughout the regatta with storms whipping through the course areas and dramatic wind shifts providing challenges to all.

The qualifying series consisted of four races over two days before the fleet was divided into gold and silver fleets.  In light shifty conditions, Lettsome posted consistent results with his best finish in 39th position.  Assigned to the silver fleet, he went on to impress with outstanding scores in races 8 and 9 when he claimed 7th and 5th place.

With an excellent overall position of 88th, Lettsome takes home some valuable experience from his first elite senior regatta. Upcoming challenges for Lettsome will include the Hempel Youth Sailing World Championships in Poland in July.

The Hempel World Cup Series is the annual series of Olympic sailing events for elite and professional sailors.  The multi-class regattas attract the best of the best with this year’s Miami event listing 101 Laser entries including 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tom Burton, and bronze medalist Sam Meech.

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The BVI’s Thad Lettsome aiming high

November 7, 2018 by

By Carol M. Bareuther, All At Sea (November 2018 issue)

Click to down load and read this inspiring article and profile of young, BVI sailor, Thad Lettsome who is aiming for the top.

Thad Lettsome. Source:All at Sea

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Fifth Place for Thad Lettsome at ISSA Nationals

November 6, 2018 by
By RBVIYC
 

Thad Lettsome placed 5th at the Inter Scholastic Sailing Association National Championships. Photo: Elle Bruce

Thad Lettsome represented Tabor Academy at the US Inter Scholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) National Championships sailing the Laser during the weekend of weekend of 27-28 October.
Lettsome finished in fifth place overall with two first place scores in his series.
 
It was a cool weekend with light, shifty winds for the most part until the last two races when a shift to the west provided a solid 12-15knts of breeze to end the regatta.
The regatta was hosted by Macatawa Bay Yacht Club on Lake Michigan.
Click to read the full report
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Lettsome Finishes On a High at 2018 Youth Worlds

July 24, 2018 by

By Royal BVI Yacht Club

Thad Lettsome finished in 14th place at the 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas. Photo: Jen Edney/World Sailing

Thad Lettsome finished the 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships in 14th place. Racing in the 58 strong Boy’s Laser Radial event Lettsome pulled out all the stops on the final day of racing to clinched a 5th place and raise himself one place up the leaderboard.

Racing took place from 16-20 July with two races per day until the final day when one race was sailed. Lettsome sprang out of the blocks on day one with a 13th and a 6th and continued to punch out all but two top 20 finishes. Proving that consistency is key and ending the regatta with his best result is a terrific boost.

“It was an epic day today, I had to battle really hard with the Spanish sailor to get ahead of him overall,” said Lettsome. “We worked on a plan and I believe I executed it the best I could.”

“There were just four points separating 11th to 14th,” commented coach Chris Watters. “On a normal day a fifth would have moved him up all those spots but all the other competitors in that range put out their best race as well! It was really great to see them all step up.”

There were 382 competitors from 66 nations at this year’s event racing in nine events – this is the best of the best. In December, Lettsome travelled to China for his first Youth Worlds and finished a very creditable 33th place.

“I am very proud of Thad and his performance this year, he has accomplished a huge amount in the last six months,” said Coach Watters.

At 16 years of age, Lettsome has another two years of eligibility to compete at this championship which in 2019 will be hosted by Gdynia, Poland.

Earlier in July, Lettsome finished in 10th place at the US Laser Radial Nationals which he used a training event for the Worlds. Next up will be CORK regatta in Kingston, Canada from 13-17 August. He also represents the Tabor Academy racing Club 420s in the high school circuit.

The Royal BVI Yacht Club thanks World Sailing for the support from the ENP and for putting on another great event, coach Chris Watters and everyone who supports the Youth Sailing Programme in the BVI.

Click for results
Click for photos

ENP Scholarship
Lettsome was awarded a scholarship by World Sailing to join their Emerging Nations Programme (ENP) which included a coaching clinic in the days leading up to the Championships. “The clinic is a great opportunity for the sailors to get used to the area before the competition starts, fine tune and prepare for sailing with a big fleet of boats.” said Lettsome.

About the Youth Sailing World Championships
The Youth Sailing World Championships is the premiere event on the youth racing calendar. With just one entry per nation per event it is the ultimate achievement to gain the opportunity to represent your country.

First contested in 1971 a long list of sailing greats have won medals at this event as they emerged onto the international stage.

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Lettsome Leads the Region at the Youth Sailing World Champs in China

December 15, 2017 by

By Royal BVI Yacht Club

Thad Lettsome representing the BVI at the 47th Youth Sailing World Championships in Sanya, China has finished in 33rd position in the Laser Radial Class. Photo: ©Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy

Thad Lettsome, representing the BVI at the 47th Youth Sailing World Championships in Sanya, China has finished in 33rd position in the Laser Radial Class.  The Laser Radial is the largest class at the event and Lettsome faced stiff competition from 50 other competitors.

Lettsome rounded out the event with a 13th position, his best result of the championships.  “Winning the start in race 9 was amazing, I rounded the top mark in 3rd place and battled throughout the entire race with the regatta leaders,” he said.

With consistent results throughout the Championship, Lettsome was pleased with his performance.  “I have really enjoyed this event,” he told us.  “I have learned so much. The wind conditions have been tricky every day and the hardest part was definitely learning to adapt to shifty conditions.

“I feel that my downwind technique has really improved.  We have also worked a lot on windward mark approach theory and the process of putting together a winning program.

“I have made lots of new friends and we will have a really solid training group moving forwards.” added Lettsome.

The final overall position of 33rd, puts Lettsome as the top finisher in the class from the Caribbean islands. St Lucia’s Luc Chevrier was 34th, Malcolm Benn-Smith from Bermuda 35th, Tijn van der Gulik (AHO) was 38th, Mateo di Blasi (ISV) 46th and Jesse Jackson from the Cayman Islands finished 49th.

15 year old Lettsome was one of the youngest competitors in the fleet (the youngest by just a few months was friend and neighbour, Mateo di Blasi from the USVI) so his achievement is all the more impressive.

The top age at this event is 19 so many of these sailors already have a wealth of experience.  “Many of the sailors are university students!” commented Coach Watters,

“Thad puts a lot of pressure on himself in terms of results so we have worked a lot on the ‘big picture’,”  continued Watters. “Strategy, goals and the process are really important and I am really impressed with how much he has developed at this event.  He is still really young and all signs point to a really strong future in sailing.”

ENP Scholarship
Lettsome was selected by World Sailing earlier this year to receive a scholarship through their Emerging Nations Programme.(ENP) and traveled to China for a training camp a few days before the event started.  “It was very valuable coming early,” said Lettsome,

“It took us 20 hours to get here but it seemed like a lot longer, we skipped a whole day!  Getting the extra time in for training and getting used to the venue was really useful.  It has been great working with a group of sailors from all over the world, it really felt like we were a team.”

“I am very grateful to my school (Tabor Academy in Massachusetts) for allowing me to take the time off from classes.  The ENP team were brilliant and having my coach Chris (Watters) with me has been great, he has really helped me focus my goals.  I would also like to thank everyone in the BVI for their support, particularly the BVI Olympic Committee and the Royal BVI Yacht Club.”

About the event
Lettsome raced in the boys Laser Radial Class against 50 other competitors. 374 competitors from 60 nations raced across nine classes and with just one spot available to each country in each class, competition even to get selected is fierce.

The Youth Worlds is the pinnacle event in the youth racing calendar and, since the first event in 1971, a long list of sailing legends including Sir Ben Ainslie and Russell Coutts and numerous Olympic medallists have won medals at this event as they emerged onto the international stage.

Racing took place from Monday 11 to Friday 15 December in Sanya, China.

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Thad Lettsome in China for 2017 Youth Sailing World Championships

December 7, 2017 by

Source: Royal BVI Yacht Club

Thad Lettsome and coach Chris Watters in Sanya, China for the 2017 Youth Sailing World Championships Dec 6-9. Photo: Royal BVI Yacht Club

Thad Lettsome will be representing the Virgin Islands at the 2017 Youth Sailing World Championship in Sanya, China, December 6 – 9 when he sails in the Laser Radial Class against 51 other competitors.

Nearly 400 competitors will race across nine classes and with just one spot available to each country in each class, competition even to get selected is fierce.

The Youth Worlds is the pinnacle event in the youth racing calendar and, over the years, a long list of sailing legends such as Sir Ben Ainslie and Russell Coutts have won medals.

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Youth sailors wrap up 2016 in Orange Bowl Regatta, Miami

January 5, 2017 by

By Royal BVI Yacht Club

Thad Lettsome in action in Miami Photo: Matias Capizzano

Thad Lettsome in action in Miami Photo: Matias Capizzano

Three Team BVI Sailors wrapped up 2016 with a trip to Miami to race in the 2016 Orange Bowl Regatta, December 26-30, 2016.

The first two days of racing saw light winds from 5-10 knots. The third day of racing was cancelled but the final day of racing had stronger winds from 14-18 knots to close out the regatta.

Thad Lettsome raced in the Laser Radial class with ten races sailed. With 84 boats registered the competition was fierce but Thad was on consistent form throughout, posting top 10 finishes in 6 races in the series. Comfortably qualifying for the gold fleet, he went on to finish in sixth place overall.

Thad’s younger brother, Ryan Lettsome was racing in the Optimist fleet along with team mate, Nathan Haycraft.

Racing in an enormous fleet of 255 boats split into four flights proved to be a challenging experience for both sailors and they both found themselves with black flag starting penalties on day one. Ten races were sailed in the series but competitors were only able to discard their worst score so a starting penalty really hurts and more than one is almost impossible to recover from.

Ryan received a black flag in the first two races but managed to steady himself and complete the regatta without further mishap and finished 94th in the silver fleet.

Things did not go so well for Nathan Haycraft who, despite some top 20 race finishes received further penalties and finished the regatta in 125th place in the silver fleet

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Sailing news round up: Antigua Laser Open, St Thomas International Regatta, Optimist South Americans

March 30, 2016 by

By Royal BVI Yacht Club

Thad Lettsome won the Laser Radial class at the Antigua Laser Open Championship at the Photo: RBVIYC/Clair Burke

Thad Lettsome won the Laser Radial class at the Antigua Laser Open Championship Photo: RBVIYC/Clair Burke

Thad Lettsome Wins At Antigua Laser Open
Thad Lettsome added another prize to his trophy cabinet this weekend when he won the Laser Radial class at the Antigua Laser Open Championship.

As well as winning the Laser Radial class, Lettsome finished third overall behind local sailors, Olympian Karl James and Jules Mitchell. Just one point kept him off the second place spot, an outstanding achievement as both were sailing with a standard rig (a bigger sail than the Radial).

A great result for the 14 year old who will now turn his attention to the IC24 Black Pearl and the 45th BVI Spring Regatta.

St Thomas International Regatta
It was “fresh to frightening” at the 43rd St Thomas International Regatta over the weekend. Aaron Gardner’s  J24 Bravissimo finished in 5th place in the CSA non-spinnaker class after sailing a consistent series. Just one place behind them was Keith LeGreci’s Girasoli team. Chris Haycraft’s Pipedream suffered gear failure on day one and was forced to miss the second race of the day finishing in 5th place at the end of the three-day regatta. Sam Morrell, helming IC24 Lord Charlton, came in in tenth place overall.

Click here to see the full results and here for a selection of pictures.

2016 Optimist South American Championships
Rayne Duff, IVB911 finished in 10th place at the 2016 Optimist South American Championships in Ecuador.

Duff sailed a consistent series with a race win highlight in Race 8.

Click here for the full results.

Youth Sailing Raffle, BVI Spring Regatta
Regatta fever is well underway in the BVI this week as the 45th Spring Regatta is gearing up for kick off.

The Sailing Festival starts on Wednesday with a race to Scrub Island, Thursday highlights include the Sloop Challenge before the main event get’s underway on Friday. With over 110 boats entered, it’s set to be a fantastic regatta and we wish all the BVI sailors the best of luck and a warm welcome to all the visitors.

Keep an eye out for the BVI Youth Sailors racing Black Pearl in the IC24 fleet…

All the latest news and results will be at www.bvispringregatta.org

RBVIYC Youth Sailing Raffle – Tickets On Sale
We have a fantastic list of prizes this year from our very generous supporters so it’s time to show your support for our Young Sailors.

Prize donors include: Anegada Beach Club, Mi Amor, Sod’s Law, Allamanda Gallery, The Last Resort, Fish ‘n’ Lime, Blue Water Divers, Peter Island Resort, BVI Surf School, Tortola Express, Sunsail Sailing School, Arawak, Horizon Yacht Charters and many more.

We will be out and about selling tickets at the regatta venue so make sure you don’t miss out!

$10 per ticket of $40 for a book of five.

Email the office at admin@royalbviyc.org to get your tickets.

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Team BVI Wins Caribbean Dinghy Championships 2013

November 18, 2013 by
BVI Sailing Team at Caribbean Dinghy Championships 2013, Antigua: (l-r) Josh Morrell, coach Omari Scott, James Dawson, Matthew Oliver, Rayne Duff, Thad Lettsome.

BVI Sailing Team at Caribbean Dinghy Championships 2013, Antigua: (l-r) Josh Morrell, coach Omari Scott, James Dawson, Matthew Oliver, Rayne Duff, Thad Lettsome.

Consistent sailing saw BVI sailors win the 2013 Caribbean Dinghy Championships held this weekend.  The two day event was raced in Lasers, Zoom, Optimist and Pico dinghies in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua.  The event, run under the auspices of the Caribbean Sailing Association, was hosted by the Antigua Yacht Club in conjunction with Antigua’s National Sailing Academy.  The Royal BVI Yacht Club and the BVI National Sailing Federation sponsored the BVI team.
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Young BVI sailor trains in Sardinia, Italy after 2013 Optimist Worlds Championship at Riva del Garda

August 12, 2013 by

imageItaly had its fair share of British Virgin Islanders this July with a Royal BVI Yacht Club sailor staying on in Italy to train in Sardinia.

Following his two weeks of racing in the Optimist Worlds Championship at Riva del Garda, Italy, where RBVIYC youth sailor 11 year old Thad Lettsome was the fifth youngest of the 259 competitors, Thad took a few days off and had the opportunity to train with the Scuola Vela out of the prestigious Yacht Club Costa Smeralda at Porto Cervo in Sardinia, Italy, on 29th and 30th July.
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