Training Young Sailors With International Competition In Mind

Twenty two adult amateur sailors, who are members of the Belize Sailing Association, completed the third of a 4-part series of training sessions at St. George's Caye over the weekend of March 19-20.

They received certification from the Royal Yacht Association and the Belize Sailing Association in basic and advanced dinghy sailing and power boat handling.

The fourth and final course in this series will be held at the British Forces Adventure Training Centre in mid April ,just prior to the arrival of 26 Optimist dinghies. These will be used to launch the Belize Sailing Association's Youth Outreach Program.

The International Optimist Dinghies on order are the only internationally recognized sailboats designed specifically for young people.

Belize is the newest member of the International Optimist Dinghy Association, which lists 120 countries as members. There are approximately 130,026 Optimist dinghies worldwide, with more than 300,000 sailors. .

Belize falls within the North American region, and soon young Belizeans will be able to compete regionally and at world events, putting Belize on the world map of sailing.

The Reporter