Italy 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.
Instead of his usual single-handed Optimist dinghy, Lettsome sailed in a Laser. Lettsome said that, though the time with his new-found friends was short, he very much enjoyed the strong and consistent winds. He was able to gain some understanding of the North West mistral (spelt ‘maestrale’ in Italy) that affects wind conditions in the Mediterranean and which he experienced during his training. He also commented that he learnt a great deal in Italy on the whole about different winds, their effects and particularly their behaviour on a lake, something he is not accustomed to, sailing mostly in the Caribbean.
Lettsome now heads back home to join his friends in kicking-off the youth sailing season with the annual “Back-To-School” regatta in September which is hosted by the Royal BVI Yacht Club and which is seen as an opportunity for youth sailors to warm up for the hectic regional youth regatta calendar ahead.
