Larchmont YC’s Harry Koeppel Qualifies for Worlds; Noroton YC’s Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick is Top Girl in the US.For the fifth year in a row and six of the past seven years, LISOT (Long Island Sound Optimist Team) has a sailor on the USA World Optimist Team! And for the fifth year in a row, LISOT is also home to the top female Optimist sailor in the United States.
After 13 windy and grueling races over four days at the USODA (United States Optimist Dinghy Association) Team Trials, hosted by Texas Corinthian Yacht Club in Houston, TX. Harry Koeppel (Larchmont YC) finished fifth and qualified for the 5-sailor USA World Team, a mere two points out of third place in the 185-boat fleet.
Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (Noroton YC) led among the girls, taking the top female spot by 11 points ahead of the next girl competitor. That makes a “hat trick” for Megan as the top-ranked female Optimist sailor in the US, UK and Argentina, as well as #2 in South America.
Two-thirds of the 18 members of Team LISOT who attended Team Trials qualified for international summer teams, which include the Worlds (in Malaysia), North Americans (Kingston, Ontario), Europeans (Poland), Asians (Thailand), British Nationals (Weymouth) and Flanders Race Week (Belguim).
And almost all (apart from four who are aging out of Optis this year: Harry, Megan, Liza O’Connor and Reinier Eenkema van Dijk), qualified for the new, smaller and more competitive 60-person US National Optimist Team.
Team Trials finished up on choppy Galveston Bay with a windy 13th race on Sunday morning under crystal blue skies and a 12-15 knot northwesterly that built to 20+ knots before the final race was over. This was the most races in a team trails in recent memory, as well as the most consistently windy and physically demanding races.
PRO Ron Hopkins (Newport, RI), Judge Peter Wilson (Noroton YC) and TCYC, Houston YC and Lakewood YC ran a terrific event, with wonderful Texas hospitality and incredible Texas seabreeze. LISOT’s experienced coaching team of Head Coach Pepe Bettini, Pablo “Panic” Panichelli and Fernando Gwozdz spent many months working with the sailors individually and in building a true team. ✦
Team LISOT Final Results
5. Harry Koeppel (50) (Larchmont YC)
10. Malcolm Lamphere (67) (Lake Geneva YC)
14. Drew Gallagher (79) (Larchmont YC)
15. Ty Ingram (80) (Larchmont YC)
18. Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (90) (Noroton YC)
23. Reinier Eenkema van Dijk (112) (Larchmont YC)
24. Jack Parkin (116) (Riverside YC)
31. Will Logue (131) (Riverside YC)
38. Augie Dale (151) (Pewaukee YC)
56. Liza O’Connor (203) (Bellport Bay YC)
65. Sean Walsh (230) (American YC)
76. Florian Eenkema van Dijk (256) (Noroton YC)
79. Alexandra DelBello (260) (American YC)
80. Matt Kaplan (264) (Larchmont YC)
82. Jared Gaynes (267) (Beach Point YC)
95. Kate van Loveran (324) (Indian Harbor YC)
105. Will Curtiss (349) (Chicago YC)
157. Clayton Johnson (490) (Brant Beach YC)
