The final event on the four-event Optimists of the Northern Capital – The Gazprom Cup 2013 Series has concluded in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Organised by the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg, the series was designed to provide young Russian sailors with a pathway into sailing on an international level and competing against global competitors.
Taking place from August 29th to 31st at the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg, Russia, competitors were greeted to the final event of the series with fantastic sunshine and a moderate wind. Over the course of three days, a total of 9 races were completed and the winners of the series were revealed.
In the Boys Division first place was won by Artem Sudakov, followed by Leonid Pushev in second and Danill Usachev in third. Ksenia Gromova took first place in the Girls Division, with Anastasia Deryagina coming second and Anastasia Levakhina third. The Junior Division was won by Vasili Andreev; Andrey Mikhailov finished in second place and Anton Khomenko took third.
The prize giving was hosted by the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg in the Maritime Museum in Saint-Petersburg on Sunday 22nd September, coinciding with the prize giving of the Nord Stream Race 2013. The Nord Stream Race saw teams race 800 nautical miles from Flensburg, Germany to Saint-Petersburg, Russia and had attracted some fantastic world renowned professional sailors. By hosting the two prize giving ceremonies together, it allowed the youth sailors to mingle with top international sailors and to see where their sailing could take them in the future.
SPBYC are proud to host events such as this; “This is a big program of developing youth sailing in Saint-Petersburg; we are starting with the big Optimist regattas to allow children to complete their first challenge and allow the parents to see their progress. At the moment this is the biggest Optimist event in Russia which makes us believe we are getting good results and we are proud of this. Moreover we try to combine the stages of the Optimist series with other regattas such as the Open Championship so that children from all over Russia can participate.
There are many benefits of events like this to youth sailors; the events give them access to high competition which is a great factor for young sportsmen, as in these regattas they have plenty of rivals and they are all determined to do their best and win a high position. The competition helps with their development and experience. It also offers some children from other regions the chance to come and sail in a different location and experience different weather conditions. The prizes are also very rewarding, as youngsters can win the money equivalent for buying new sails, rig and equipment.”
The Optimist Series is part of the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg’s goal to promote youth sailing in Russia and to provide more opportunities and facilities in order to fulfil this ambition. The Club want to ensure that young sailors in the country can race together at a global level and compete against other nationalities. SPBYC is opening up the international racing scene for the youth sailors of Russia and events such as The Gazprom Cup illustrate how important these competitions are for the development and experience of these sailors.
After four months of training and competition, the young Optimist sailors can now look back at their accomplishments with pride, and as they leave the series with a great deal of experience, they can look forward to their future sailing development.