Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup—Max Quirk from Australia in 1st place with 44 points
By Laurie Fullerton
Hamilton, Bermuda, Oct 11, 2013- Competitors in the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup saw the leveling out of the playing field today with results putting Australian Max Quirk in first place with 44 points after two days of solid racing. Milo Gill Taylor from Great Britain is in 2nd place with 58 points and Hattie Rogers of Great Britain is in third placed with 63 points.
“When I came here to Bermuda, I really did not expect to be in the lead,” Quirk said. “But, I will take it.”
Quirk who at age 14 appears to be growing taller every days says that, “I feel this is probably going to be my last Opti regatta because I am getting really tall now but it has been great racing today. I think I may be almost too tall for the Opti now.” The young Australian hopes to move into the Laser fleet as he grows. He says with all the excitement building in Australia about sailing recently, many youths are starting to think big there.
“It would be my dream to be in the Olympics or as a tactician on an America’s Cup boat someday,” Quirk said.
49 young sailors in Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup
By Laurie Fullerton
Hamilton, Bermuda, Oct 10, 2013- With Australian Max Quirk leading with 15 points at the end of the first day, the field remains wide open with Manon Van Dijk in second place with 30 points and Bermudian Campbell Patton in third place with 31 points.
Forty-nine young sailors were off to a jump-start today at the 11th annual RenaissanceRe Junior Gold after some nervousness caused general recalls in the first two of the four races. After completing four races in 9-10 knot conditions on the Great Sound, competitors from 16 countries as well as Bermuda sailed well throughout changing wind conditions on the first day of completion and will come out stronger tomorrow.
While some of the competitors were racing in their first ever Junior Gold Cup, others like Milo Gill-Taylor of Great Britain, currently in 5th place, was returning for his second year.
“I really didn’t feel like I sailed that well today and I didn’t really shine at all but I guess I was consistent after all,” Gill-Taylor said. “I didn’t realize I was in fifth place until just now.”
“I was really happy out there racing today,” said Patton, 12, who started very well on the crowded line. “It wasn’t anything special except that I really played the shifts most of all. I think the key for me as well is that I sailed in the middle of the course most of all. I feel like I had great starts and really stayed with the fleet.”
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