#OPTIWORLDS – Tralee's Sophie Browne is in the top ten of the Optimist World Championships in New Zealand after yesterday's first race of the event. The sole Irish competitor produced a top opening result in her blue division of the massive 210–boat fleet and shares ninth on the nation leaderboard with Slovakia's Toni Vrscaj and Thailand's Sarawut Phetsiri. The Kerry 14–year–old has already completed the pre-worlds event in Napier proving her boat speed at the worlds venue with a credible 21st place overall. 14-year-old Sophie Browne sailing for Ireland in New Zealand. Photo: Brian Carlin After delays caused by concerns about competitor seeding and light winds, the competitors were led out of the harbour by the Maori waka Nga Tukemata O Kahungunu for the first days racing. This … [Read more...]

#OPTIWORLDS–  Sophie Browne – Sailing • Sails from Tralee Bay Sailing Club and Royal Cork Yacht Club. • Started sailing at 5 years of age. • Sailing on the Optimist circuit in Ireland for a number of years. • Has sailed a full winter training programme as well as all of the regional events in Ireland, the British National Championships and the Irish National Championships for the past few years. Travels approximately 2 hours to the Royal Cork Yacht Club on a regular basis for coaching and training for different events. • Has been working very hard at her sailing programme with her coaches over the past couple of years and has been selected for the Irish Sailing Association National Optimist Squad 2009/10 and 2010/2011. • Winter Training ISA Optimist Programme 2010 / 2011 … [Read more...]

#OPTI – Ireland's Sophie Browne stayed on course for a top result at the Optimist World championship in New Zealand yesterday counting four more top 20 results in the 210–boat feet to be plced  seventh overall after five races sailed. The young sailors race in six groups so even after five races there are still a lot of ties and uncertainties but there is no doubting the performance of Browne so far. Her father Donal who travelled with her to New Zeland sent us this message this morning: "Sophie is going very well and she is keeping very cool, conservative, playing it straight up the fairway, playing the percentages and trying to control some of the very serious oposition. It is early days in a long regatta and its just another day at the office! Sophie is really enjoying the kiwi … [Read more...]

#optiworldsnz –Sailing for Ireland, Sophie Browne of Tralee Bay Sailing Club has dropped from 7th to 16th overall after six races sailed at the Optimist World Championships, according to provisional results from organisers this morning. Browne scored a 16th in race six of the 210–boat fleet to place 16th overall. Significantly though the top Irish sallor is on equal points with 14th place and only seven points off the top ten, still very much in contention. Only 10 points separate 11 of the top 16 boats in the fleet with a further discard in hand and everything to play for. It is the first time Ireland has contested the World championships in four years, Irish efforts have been previously concentrated on the European championships. Sophie on day three of the Oppy worlds in Napier. … [Read more...]

#optiworldsnz – After three days of individual racing the focus changed at the OptiWorlds today with the first day of team racing seeing 40 national teams sail in warm sun and light airs but for Ireland's Sophie Browne, the sole Irish competitor in Napier, it is time for a break from racing, she is next back on the water on Saturday for race seven. "Each team has four sailors so some countries were excluded from today's racing" according to Pete Dawson Chairman of OptiWorldsNZ. Team racing allows sailors to enjoy the short tactical duels, each team sails at least two races. Then the losing team is knocked out of the competition. When not racing, the sailors are rafted up and eating with their team mates, often from other countries. There was also a strong contingent of shore based … [Read more...]

#optimist – Impressed with the sailing success of 14-year-old Sophie Browne in New Zealand this week? Could you be the next to represent Ireland on the world stage? The Irish Optimist class is making every effort to bring on as many 'Oppy' sailors as possible with an Invitation to all Optimist sailors to its 2012 Spring Training Week in Baltimore from 13-17 February 2011, the school half-term. IODAI, the International Optimist Dinghy Association of Ireland, organises a Spring training week every year which is open to all Optimist sailors in Ireland. Baltimore in West Cork sits near the very southern tip of Ireland on the beautiful southwest coast roughly mid-way between the busy tourist destination of Dingle and Kinsale. Slightly off the tourist trail, Baltimore has restrained a village … [Read more...]

#optiworldsnz – Support from home including Volvo Ocean Race sailor Damian Foxall urged Sophie Browne back in to the top ten of the Optimist World Championships at Napier, New Zealand today. The 14 year old from Tralee maintained her position at the top of the leader board in one of the world's toughest youth sailing class against a fleet of 208 competitors drawn from 48 countries. Day four saw racing resume for the 210 boat fleet following a lay day yesterday, and two races were successfully completed. Sophie placed 31st and 5th which, allowing for a discard, which means the Kerry sailor now climbs six places to ninth overall. Support at home has been building throughout the week and last night from his base in Abu Dhabi Ireland's top offshore sailor Damian Foxall from Team Groupama … [Read more...]

#oppiewordsnz – A 14th and a 42nd scored in the penultimate rounds of the Optimist worlds today drop Ireland's Sophie Browne from ninth to 13th overall. Browne needs to move up ten points with a single day's racing left to sail in Napier, New Zealand tomorrow to secure a much sought after top ten result overall. Ireland's only contender at the world's top junior championships is the second placed girl overall in the 208–boat fleet, a magnificant performance for the Tralee 14year–old. Dim lights The Optimist World Championships saw wind, rain, fog and therefore poor visibility yesterday. It wasn't until 1350 that the decision was made for the competitors to go out on the water. The wind was 18 knots, it was still raining, and the swells … [Read more...]

#optiworldsnz – Tralee's Sophie Browne got no chance to improve on her 13th overall when the last race of the Optimist World Championships in New Zealand was abandoned yesterday due to lack of wind. The only Irish competitor in the 208-boat competition has impressed all week with a plucky performance that kept her inside the top ten of the world's toughest youth fleet until the penultimate day, when she dropped from ninth to 13th. Although finishing 13th overall, she was second girl overall which earns her the girl's silver medal. The result is being hailed as a major success by her club Tralee Bay Sailing Club, the first time Ireland has faced world championship competition for over four years. During the week Irish support for Sophie came from all over the world including her club … [Read more...]