Perham Black Headed to Cressy Cup

Perham Black is heading to Florida for sailboat racing – Contributed photo

Perham “Per” Black, a senior at Spring Street International School in Friday Harbor is one of 18 youth sailors headed to Florida to compete in the Cressy Cup Laser Radial Division.

This competition is considered the United States high school national championships for singlehanded sailing of Laser Radial sailboats.

Per Black earned his place to compete in the nationals in a regional competition held at Seattle’s Shilshole Marina September 23rd and 24th racing against the best high school sailors from around the Northwest.

At the Shilshole Marina races Per joined his fellow competitors who were greeted by a light southerly on Saturday morning. This proved to be quite stable and peaked around 8 knots by noon. The breeze then began to fade, and by 3pm it had shut off completely. The wind never really materialized Sunday, and only one race was completed in very light winds. Per and Owen Timms, of Olympia, consistently finished ahead of the pack, and ended first and second, with Owen recording 12 points, and Per 14.

Their nearest competitors, from Bainbridge Island, had 34 points. Both Per and Owen will represent the northwest in St. Petersburg, Florida over the 27th, 28th and 29th of October in the Cressy Cup.

Per sails on the youth sailing team operated by the San Juan Island Sailing Foundation which sponsors and supports youth sailing. The team typically has 15 to 20 sailors each year with high school students from Friday Harbor High School, Spring Street International School, and Griffin Bay School.

The San Juan Island Sailing Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance sailing in the San Juan Islands. The Foundation’s primary focus is to provide sailboats and coaching for the SJI Youth Sailing Team and funds participation in regional regattas. The Foundation also provides boats, equipment, and volunteers to support San Juan Island Parks & Recreation’s Summer sailing classes for beginning and intermediate sailors of all ages. The Foundation has also had youth sailors from Shaw Island on the sailing team and collaborates with the Orcas High School Sailing Team.

Photos, video and info at https://www.facebook.com/sjisf/

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