SIMPSON BAY--Thomas Magras, from St. Barth Yacht Club, took first place in the Optimist class winning all races class in the opening day of the St. Maarten Yacht Club's Hoedemaker Series Saturday.
Carmona Bouvrais Tao, also representing St. Barth Yacht Club, placed second and Lourenço Rolo Couto Jorge from St. Barth Yacht Club was third. Twenty-one participants competed in the opening day of the Hoedemaker Series which is part of the Grant Thornton Dinghy Season Championship and is organized and hosted by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. Sailors from various clubs such as French Saint Martin, St. Barth, Dutch Sint Maarten, and others joined the competition. Under the guidance of sailing instructor and race officer Wessel Tangenberg, the race committee successfully started four races across two classes: Laser and Optimist. The Optimist class was the biggest class with 11 participants. In the Laser Class, featuring 10 participants with Emilien Le Normand, representing Club de Voile de Fryers Bay, placing first. Rio Stomp representing host SMYC finished second and Pascal Belle from MDA was third. Race officer Wessel Tangenberg remarked, "It was a fantastic afternoon of racing; the weather was good, with just the right amount of wind. Unfortunately, this race marks my last Grant Thornton Dinghy race since I will leave the island in a month” Tangenberg also extended heartfelt appreciation to Team St. Barth, highlighting their commitment to the sport. "I must give a special shoutout to Team St. Barth: They participated in the Sailing Week of Schoelcher in Martinique, they arrived in St. Barth on Friday and joined us in St. Maarten for the Hoedemaker series on Saturday. Their passion for sailing is truly inspiring," Tangenberg concluded. The second and last day of the series is scheduled for Saturday, March 16, with registration currently open.
