New Sailors Finish the Semester in Style
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It was a festive graduation day, celebrating the successful launch of the Volts Wednesday sailing program and the accomplishments of the student sailors.
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"Pasta and Bingo Night" Elevates VIMSIA Sailing Team
/A heartfelt thank you to all who attended this week’s fundraiser at St. Thomas Yacht Club! We are thrilled to share the tremendous success of “Pasta and Bingo Night,” held on Wednesday night to support the VIMSIA sailing team. Thanks to the incredible support and participation from our community, the event was not only a delightful evening but also a significant step towards achieving our fundraising goals for the team.
The event kicked off with a wonderful array of pasta dishes that were enjoyed by all prepared by our very own Colin Auchicloss. As the evening progressed, the excitement heightened with the start of the bingo games. It was a joy to see participants of all ages engaging in the friendly competition, with lucky winners walking away with amazing prizes donated by our sponsors.
"It’s so great to see our kids working together and being shining examples of why we send our children to this school and confirmation of our belief in the Montessori spirit," said Ravi Nagi.
We are proud to announce that, through food sales, donations, and the Bingo, we have raised a quarter of our yearly team fundraising goals. 100% of these funds go directly towards supporting the VIMSIA sailing team, enabling them to pursue their passion and travel to stateside regattas.
"I love how everyone comes together on this team! We have the best parent and student group,” added Sarah Auchincloss.
This event would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of our volunteers, the generous donations from local businesses and individuals, and, most importantly, the participation of our community.
Once again, we extend our heartfelt thanks for your contribution to making the “Pasta and Bingo Night” a resounding success. We look forward to the continued support of our community and to seeing you all at our next event.
Check out some great photos from the event below!
the whole team with Gaylin Voegel, Winner of the blackout bingo game. She won a night at the Ritz-Carlton!
Volts Sailors Place Second in Florida Race
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Major congratulations to the VIMSIA Sailing team! The team placed second last week in the SAISA Keelboat Qualifiers in St. Petersburg, Florida — only one point shy of first. This was their first time ever sailing J70s.
Read MoreSailors Compete in MLK Regatta
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Our sailors started the year with the annual races at the St. Thomas Yacht Club!
Read MoreSail Away! Sophomore Ella Crew Places Second in VI Regatta
/Massive congratulations to VIMSIA sophomore Ella Crew on placing second overall in the VI-Puerto Rico Friendship Day regatta, along with teammate Colton Coffelt of Antilles school, after competing in 15 races over two days. Below, check out photos from the races.
This weekend the sailing team will attend the first off-island regatta in their history, sailing at Lake Norman in the Carolinas. Attending the race is Jackson Auchincloss, Ellis Wisehart, Sofie Kappel, and Santi Brunt. And next weekend Ella Crew, Aurora, Zia, Amelie and Miles Broom are headed to Jensen Beach, Florida for another regatta.
For more, check out this short video by Eric Zucker, featuring gorgeous imagery of the teams at sea:
Ella Crew and sailing partner Colton Coffelt celebrating their victory!
Support our sailing team!
Donate to send them to more regattas at vimsia.org/sailing
Lieutenant Governor Roach presented trophies to ELLA and COLTON at the awards ceremony.
VIMSIA Volts Sailing Team attend the Sunshine States Optimist Regatta
/The Sunshine States Optimist Regatta in Jensen Beach, FL took place March 11th - 13th. VIMSIA and Antilles sailors were among 205 sailors competing in the regatta this year. This regatta was also the qualifier for USVI sailors wanting to attend the Optimist World Championships.
Coached by internationally recognized Opti Coach Agustin Resano, the sailors had challenging conditions on the first day, with winds sustained at 27 knots, gusting to over 30 knots. The second day was more moderate, with 15-20 knot winds.
Sailing conditions on day one of the regatta. Credit: Sail1Design.com
Based on Sunshine States' results are posted below, the following sailors will represent ISV at Opti Worlds 2022 in Turkey in June of this year.
Audrey Zimmerman - 25th overall
Coby Fagan - 31st overall
Howard Zimmerman - 77th overall
Emma Walters - 115th overall
Mariana Brunt - 135th overall
Coach - Agustin Resano
VIMSIA Sailors compete in Buccaneer Blast Regatta
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From the Article:
USVI junior sailors compete in Buccaneer Blast Regatta
A half-dozen junior sailors from the St. Thomas Yacht Club competed over the weekend in the 13th annual Buccaneer Blast Regatta, held in Key West, Fla.
The highest-finishing Virgin Islander in the Optimist Championship division was St. Thomas’ Audrey Zimmer- man, who finished 30th overall with 80 points. She had one top-10 finish in six races, coming in seventh in the third race.
Other USVI junior sailors competing in the Buccaneer Blast were:
• Howard Zimmerman of St. Thom- as finished 43rd overall and third in the White fleet with 106 points. His best finish came in the first race when he came in 11th.
• Emma Walters of St. Thomas finished 44th overall with 107 points. She had two top-10 finishes – a sixth place in the fourth race, and 10th place in the third race.
• Coby Fagan of St. Thomas finished 57th overall with 121 points. He had the best finish among the six USVI sailors — a pair of fourth places, in the second and fourth races — but his fin- ish was hampered by disqualifications in the first and third races.
• Mariana Brunt of St. Thomas finished 60th overall with 131 points. Her best finish was seventh place in the third race.
• Samantha Anderson of St. Thomas finished 92nd overall with 184 points. Her best finish was 30th in the sixth race.
Florida’s David Coates, a member of U.S. Sailing’s junior national team, won the Opti Championship division. He won twice and finished second in two other starts for a total of 10 points. He finished one point ahead of fellow Floridian Daniil Riabykh (11 points) and seven points ahead of third-place finisher Wylder Smith of Connecticut (17 points).
Sailor Emma Walters Participates in Orange Bowl Youth Regatta
/PGIA student Emma Walters participated in the Orange Bowl Youth Regatta in Miami as a part of Team ISV. “The Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta brings world-class sailing talent to South Florida in a five-day event that has become the largest international youth regatta in the U.S. and South America for sailors ages 8-18. Featuring more than 700 sailors from 20 countries, past regatta participants have achieved notoriety in the sailing world, including U.S. Junior Women's singlehanded champion Sophia Reineke, who competed in the 2013 event.”
Opti Championship Fleet Results:
Coby Fagan - 47th overall
Audrey Zimmerman - 48th overall
Emma Walters - 66th overall
Howard Zimmerman - 71st overall and 2nd in White Fleet (age 10 and under)
There was a total of 196 boats in their fleet.
Laser Results:
Tanner Krygsveld- 6th
Alejo di Blasi - 45th
Robert Richards - 48th
Total of 92 boats
420s Results:
Caroline Sibilly/Katherine Majette - 15th
Winn Majette/Caitlin Briggs - 32nd
Total of 73 boats.
Photos are of the entire Opti Race Team and coach and of Howard and Agustin after getting his award.
Opti Racing Team
VIMSIA Sailing Team Launched This Week!
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VIMSIA is happy to announce the launch of the Sailing Team and Program this week, coached by Tyler Rice! While the competitions are only open to 9th-12th graders we have younger students training so they are ready to take up the ropes. Our students will be sailing 420s. Their training days will be Monday and Friday after school and Saturday starting at 9:00 am.
Coach Tyler Rice was born and raised on St. Thomas. He attended Montessori for elementary school and then moved onto Antilles school through graduation. At Antilles, Tyler was honored with the Headmaster’s Award and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was part of the sailing team at the St. Thomas Yacht Club competing World-Wide and leading the Antilles Sailing Team at many District and National Championship Regattas. Tyler was recruited to Brown University where he Double Majored in Environmental Studies and Economics, all the while competing on the Varsity Sailing Team and receiving the Academic All-American award his senior year. Tyler is a certified yoga and tai chi instructor, a commercial US Coast Guard Licensed Captain, sailing instructor privately and at the St. Thomas Yacht Club, and is avid in nonprofit outreach throughout the Caribbean. Tyler will also be the Antilles sailing coach this year, too.
VIMSIA After-School Sailing Program
/Peter Holmberg, Virgin Islands own Olympic silver medalist, America's Cup Skipper, and Match-Race World Champion, will be joining the after-school sailing program as a coach!
Sailing at the St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC) is an after-school program available to Lower and Upper Elementary students on Wednesday afternoons.
8th Grade Students set Sail on a Roseway Adventure
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Photo Credit to Roseway Ship’s Log
Many thanks to the Gifft Hill School for inviting our students on their latest adventure… James, Paschal, Preston, and Malcolm are spending this week at the World Ocean School aboard the Roseway. They will be visiting St. John, Puerto Rico, and other outlying islands. Feel free to follow along on the Roseway Ship’s Log!
Photo Credit to Roseway Ship’s Log