Five of Bermuda’s best young sailors have been selected to compete at the World Optimist Championships in Argentina next month.

Noah Amaradasa, Evan Davis, Nina Gotfredsen, Rory Savage and Miguel Power will compete in Mar del Plata from December 5 to 15 alongside 227 sailors from 52 participating countries.

The youngsters, who are affiliated with the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, will be accompanied by coach Pablo Weber and team leader Pamela Saraiva, as they take part in their last international event before ageing out of the Optimist class.

The championship features an intensive training and competition schedule designed to challenge the young sailors, with four practice days, focused on acclimatising to challenging large swells and complex currents, followed by two qualifying days of individual competition to determine divisional rankings.

The event will then transition to two days of team racing in a knockout format, culminating in two fleet racing days across the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Emerald divisions to determine the final championship placings.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Mark Soares, the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association president, is confident that the sailors will perform to the best of their ability on the world stage.

“The participation of these sailors at the international championship level is a testament to the skill, dedication and resilience of Bermuda’s young athletes,” Soares said.

“Through BODA’s high-performance programme, we remain committed to developing the next generation of world-class sailors. Under the expert guidance of national coach Pablo Weber, our athletes are prepared not just to compete but to excel among the world’s top Optimist sailors in this year’s championship.

“We wish our sailors the very best as they take on this incredible challenge and represent Bermuda on the global stage. Their countless hours of training and unwavering dedication to prepare for this event are truly impressive and deserve the highest admiration.

“We are immensely grateful to the Bermuda Sailing Association, as well as to our network of donors, parents and volunteers. Their steadfast support makes these transformative opportunities possible and motivates us to continue striving for excellence.”

Power, who finished as the top Bermudian in the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup and won the recent Optimist National Championships, places a lot of emphasis on physical fitness.

“My biggest learning moment was when I was sailing in the 2021 trials for the World Championships, and it was a day with around 20 knots — and I wasn’t fit enough,” Power said.

“On the last race of the day, I had major pain in my stomach area. It turns out that it was actually my abs not being fit enough. To this day, I remember the moment and make sure I am as fit as possible for all my competitions.

“The Optimist has made me a resilient person and has given me a better mentality to work for things, such as doing well in sailing itself and also my exams at school.”