Mossel Bay sailor first-placed adult

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Tammy Holden (19) of the Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club (MBYBC) finished as the first adult of the series in the Topper World Championships in Shenzhen, China.

These championships are an open event in which adults and children all sail together.

The pre-event training was cancelled due to a typhoon. Unfortunately this typhoon left an extremely light wind system in its wake. This light wind persisted for the duration of the event, only allowing only two races to be sailed for the entire week, MBYBC spokesperson Elfie Holden said.

The championships were scheduled for 16 to 21 August, with the opening ceremony on 15 August.

The MBYBC team consisted of Tammy, who is also the coach, Sao Bras High School's Waydon Goliath and Point High School's James Bull and Bradon Kretzmann.

Elfie said: "Everyone was excited to travel to a new country. Tammy was the only team member who had flown before. "The team was met in Hong Kong by the organisers and transported to the venue in Shenzhen.

"There were 222 competitors. This made everyone nervous. It was by far the largest event in which they had sailed.

"The organisation was excellent. The two races, completed in extremely light wind, did not benefit our heavier-weighted sailors, who battled with the conditions, but Tammy managed to use her experience to finish as the first adult in the series.

"Even though there were only two races in the championships, everyone agrees it was an amazing experience. Thank you to everyone who made this possible for the sailors," Elfie said.

Bradon Kretzmann and James Bull of Point High School, Sao Bras' Waydon Goliath and their coach and fellow competitor Tammy Holden, in Shenzhen, China, at the opening ceremony of the Topper Worlds on 15 August.