19/06/2026
LISOT Black Wins 2026 TOTE Team Racing Championships – Nearly 100 Junior Sailors Ready to Sail in 33rd International Optimist Regatta
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Back-to-back first-place finishes in a best-of-three finale led team LISOT Black, with sailors representing the USA states of New York and Connecticut, to win the TOTE Team Racing Championships. The Championship is one of three events held this week at the St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC). The three-day TOTE Clinic, which concluded on Wednesday with a point-to-point distance event modeled after the Volvo Ocean Race, preceded it and will be followed by the 33rd International Optimist Regatta (IOR), taking place from Friday to Sunday.
Teams of five sailors participated in the TOTE Team Racing Championship. The champion LISOT Black team members are Brooks Pardi, Riverside Yacht Club/Connecticut; Ryan Breck, Riverside Yacht Club/Connecticut; Leah Goldman, Centerport Yacht Club/New York; Thomas Alexopoulos, Riverside Yacht Club/ Connecticut; and CC Alamgir, Bellport Yacht Club/New York.
"We communicated really well as a team, and that helped a lot," says Pardi, 13.
Breck, 14, adds, "The clinic was really helpful for learning the wind and wave conditions here."
This is the second year Goldman, 12, has sailed in the event. "The clinic and today's team racing made me feel more confident sailing in stronger winds and bigger waves than we have at home, and I'm looking forward to the regatta."
The strong breeze and shifty conditions were what Alexopoulos, 11, enjoyed most about both the clinic and team race. "Communication was really good among our team."
For Alamgir, 13, one of the highlights of team racing was riding the swells. "It was fun sailing down them and going really fast."
On Wednesday, Marius Garbayo Ante, representing the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Florida, won the Championship Fleet title in the Volvo Ocean Race. At the same time, Avery Cherng, from the Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, captured top honors in the Beginner Green Fleet.
"I sailed here last year, so I knew the course," says Garbayo Ante. "The racing was really close. I didn't win any of the four legs, but I stayed near the front the whole time, and that consistency helped me win."
For Cherng, the lessons learned during the clinic paid off. "Learning how to handle the lifts and lulls in the big winds and waves helped a lot because by the time we did the distance race, those conditions weren't as scary."
Looking ahead to the IOR, 13-year-old Layla Ledee, representing the STYC, says, "I am looking forward to sailing with a larger group than what I'm used to." Ledee, who finished fourth overall in the Green Fleet in the Volvo Ocean Race, adds, "The coaches talked about where to best position yourself on the boat, and that was something that I made sure to pay attention to while sailing throughout the clinic."
Nearly 100 junior sailors – representing Bermuda, Brazil, the British Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Trinidad & Tobago, and the U.S. states of California, Florida, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island – started the week by training in the three-day TOTE Clinic, held from June 15 to 17. Top local and international coaches ran the clinic.
The 33rd IOR gets underway on Friday with junior sailors representing both Championship and Beginner fleets. The Championship fleet is divided into age groups: White (age 10 and under), Blue (ages 11 and 12), and Red (ages 13 to 15). Depending on the weather, the race committee plans to conduct 10 or more races over the next three days. Results will be posted at www.regattanetwork.com/event/30320
The Awards Ceremony takes place on Sunday at 3 p.m. at STYC. Trophies will be awarded to the top five sailors in each fleet: Red (ages 13-15), Blue (ages 11-12), White (ages 10 and under), Green (beginners), and the top three sailors overall by score. A Perpetual Trophy, introduced in 2017, has been inscribed with the overall winner's name for the past 29 years. Additional trophies include the Peter Ives' Perpetual Trophy, the Chuck Fuller Sportsmanship Award, and the perpetual Founders Trophy, awarded to the Top Female Sailor.
Strong Sponsor Support
The IOR is sponsored by TOTE, Switlik Survival Products, and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, and supported by Simmons Boatworks, Buddha on the Fly, Budget Marine, St. Thomas Restaurant Group, Christie's International Real Estate, and Colie Sails.
This year's event will follow an eco-friendly theme. Each sailor receives a reusable metal water bottle to reduce waste. Sailors are also encouraged to keep all lunch bags and wrapping out of the water, pick up trash on shore, and refrain from using straws when accepting drinks.
For more information, Email: [email protected] or call (340) 775-6320. Or, for the Notice of Regatta (NOR), Registration Form, and Results, visit the St. Thomas Yacht Club website at stthomasyachtclub.org/sailing/regattas/international-optimist-regatta or Regatta Network: www.regattanetwork.com/event/30320. Please also see the International Optimist Regatta on Facebook and Instagram
Photos: Kendall Hebert Photography
St. Thomas Yacht Club
Caribbean Sailing Association
United States Virgin Islands
Christie’s International Real Estate US Virgin Islands
Barefoot Buddha on The Fly
Switlik Survival Products
Colie Sailmakers
Budget Marine
Simmons Boatworks
St. Thomas Restaurant Group Special Events & Catering
