Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) youth sailors Thomas and Adriana Penruddocke gained valuable exposure at this month’s Swiss Optimist National Championships.The local duo were among the nearly 200 hundred sailors from 11 European countries that competed at the regatta hosted by Sihlsee Sailing Club located south of Zurich, Switzerland.At the end of what proved to be a painstaking four-days of sailing in light air conditions Adriana (12) placed 129th and 14-year-old brother Thomas 133rd in the overall fleet.Praising the pair’s efforts in testing conditions was RBYC sailing academy coach Tom Herbert-Evans.“What a great experience for Thomas and Adriana, they are both two of the hardest working sailors in the Bermuda Fleet, always practising and always there to help others,” he said. “Their practise was certainly put to good use in the challenging and very different lake conditions in Switzerland.“The Bermuda Optimist sailors are travelling far and wide, which is great exposure for the kids, but equally great exposure for Bermuda Optimist sailing.”The opening day of the regatta proved to be a tough one for the local optimists sailors who found themselves at the back of the fleet. However, better fortunes awaited them on the second day with Adriana placing 16th and Thomas 26th.Only two races were sailed on the third day due to lack of wind and frequent wind shifts and one on the fourth and final day, reducing the regatta to a ten-race series.This year was Thomas’ second appearance at the Swiss Optimist National Championships while Adriana was making her first.