Team Pica – European Champions! 17 Jun 2011

Team Pica is back from Sondersborg with their 18ft Skiff after what Stewart Mears described as ‘an amazing week’. In the run-up to this event, sailing for the Mark Foy Trophy, Jamie and Stewart Mears, together with Tristan Hutt, had made their presence felt both at the previous UK events and more recently at Lake Balaton where they were the clear winners. However, with twenty entrants from seven countries world-wide, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, New Zealand and the USA, the competition was stepped up.

With a first and second place on the first day, Team Pica obviously meant business and were always in contention. After the twelve scheduled races had been completed, Pica was just one point behind the Australian Yandoo helmed by John Winning (!) and after discards Pica was neatly sandwiched between the Australians and the American CST thus making them the European Champions.

In Stewart’s own words, “Despite leading for most of the week, we were happy to have finished as European champions and 2nd overall between two skiff sailing legends of John Winning(Aus) and Howie Hamlin(USA).”

Read Tristan’s report on the Allen Brothers’ website. Look in the right hand column.

POSTSCRIPT Jonathan Noonan, an ex-Otter, was part of the threesome racing Investec and finished in 9th place.