St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Ten teams of four sailors each took to the seas off St. Thomas’ east end today to compete in the 2010 Sea Star Team Racing Championships. After eight races, it was Team M, made up of sailors from Texas and Florida, which emerged victorious.

“This is a young group of sailors, 10 to 11 years old, that we are developing,” says Team M coach, Alejandro Sole, of OptiSailors.com. “For the team racing, we had 14-year-old Christopher Williford as the fourth member to help train the three younger kids who were fast, but didn’t have a depth of experience yet. It paid off.”

Long Island Sound Optimist Team 1, from New York, and West Side, from California, finished, second and third, respectively in the Sea Star Team Racing Championships.

Earlier this week, seventy-four junior sailors competed in the three-day Sea Star Clinic, June 14 to 16. The clinic was run by internationally-recognized coaches from OptiSailors.com, who included Santiago Galan, Alejandro Sole, Gonzalo Pollitzer, Manuel Resano, Pepe Betini, Justine O’Connor, Martin Jenkins and Agustin ‘Argy’ Resano. Local St. Thomas Yacht Club sailors Verian Aguilar, William Bailey and Kyle Brego assisted with the Green Fleet.

“The clinic was really good. I learned a lot,” says Kai Holmberg, of St. Thomas. “We worked especially on starts.”

Clinic coach and organizer, Agustin ‘Argy’ Resano says, “We saw a good skill level from the more advanced sailors. It was also nice to see nearly 20 Green Fleet sailors come out for the Clinic. These beginners are the future of the sport.”

“We’re thrilled to be involved with the clinic and team racing,” says Meme St. John, general manager for Sea Star Lines in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. “This is a wonderful event that is well organized and provides such a great opportunity for our youth to learn the life skills that sailing teaches and also to make new friends.”

The 18th Annual Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta gets underway tomorrow. Ninety-four sailors ranging in age from 8 to 15 and sailing from Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, the British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, the United States and U.S. Virgin Islands will compete in this three-day regatta that ends Sunday.

In addition to the hi-caliber racing, shoreside activities include the Parade of Nations and Welcome Party where the Bertha C. Bochulte Burning Blazers steel pan ban performed as well as a Caribbean-themed night that include fire blowers and finally a  beachside brunch and Awards Ceremony scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday June 20th.

Trophies will be awarded to the top five finishers in each fleet and top three overall. Additional trophies include the Peter Ives’ Perpetual Trophy, the Chuck Fuller Sportsmanship Award and the Top Female sailor.

“Sailing teaches so many wonderful skills such as determination, team work, setting a goal and following through,” says Kelly Morgan, senior sales leader for Scotiabank. “We at Scotiabank have been proud to promote junior sailing in the Caribbean for nearly 20 years.”

Sailors and organizers have adopted a ‘Green’ theme this year by aligning with Sailors for the Sea and by encouraging the sailors to re-fill water bottles at water coolers provided by Seven Seas Water.

“This has dramatically cut down on plastic bottles going into the trash,” says Margo Lynch, who co-directs this year’s regatta with Cindy Hackstaff and Joyce McKenzie.

For more information, call 340-775-6320; fax: 340-775-3600, or Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .