Local LISOT sailors travel quite a bit, so it's nice when the event is right in their own backyards.
LISOT, a small privately funded sailing foundation has taken the Youth Championship by storm. The young sailors are from yacht clubs all around the Long Island Sound, and know the area probably better than anyone at the regatta. The light air conditions were something they were very familiar with of course.
The sailors who were selected for the event included; 29er- Olivia Crane (Noroton YC) /Ali Blumenthal (Bellport Bay YC), C420- Markus Edegran/Teddy Mark (Larchmont YC), Deidre Lambert Portland YC,ME) /Tracy Doherty (Sea Cliff YC), Chanel Miller (FL) /Rebecca Liggins (Larchmont YC), Andrew Mollerus (Larchmont YC) /Charlie Peck (Niantic Bay YC), and Declan Whitmyer (Noroton YC) /Ian Storck (Centerport YC).
After racing on the final day, which turned out to be the windiest of all days, I got a chance to talk with some of the LISOT Sailors. 
Declan Whitmyer and Ian Storck, both 15 years old, told me about how they have been sailing with LISOT since their Opti days. They have made the switch to C420s and competed in Youth Champs this year each for their first time. Declan, the skipper, commented on the racing as a whole,
"It was all about consistency, we didn't do as well as we had wanted to but it went okay for the most part." For their first time at Youths, coming in 9th overall wasn't too shabby. Good job boys!
I also had the chance to interview Andrew Mollerus and Charlie Peck. The boys, 15 and 16 years old, have been with LISOT for about 3 years. The pair had just joined forces in late fall to prepare for their first regatta, The Orange Bowl, FL. The crew, Charlie Peck, seemed a little bummed at their performance.
"We didn't do as well as we had hoped, probably upper teens in most races. I thought it was a hard event overall. It was tough to be consistent with the breeze, and top tens mattered more than anything else."
The boys shouldn't be too bummed though, they are off to French Nationals July 10th. Good luck, and au revoir!
For more on Youth Champs go to Youth Champs Online and for more on the LISOT sailors, check out LISOT Online. Also catch some action with videos and interviews at SAILGROOVE
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