Hillier claims top honours

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Bermuda’s Kalin Hillier claimed overall honours in the Laser Radial at the CORK International Regatta in Kingston, Ontario, earlier this week.

And he did so the hard way in a fierce battle for bragging rights with Mexico’s Natalia Montemayor that went right down to the wire.

Seventeen-year-old Hillier and Montemayor were level on points heading into the sixth and final race in the Gold Fleet on the triangle race course.

But the Saltus Grammar School graduate, who scored four bullets during the international regatta, managed to put two boats between himself and his Mexican rival that was enough to land him the overall crown by a two-point margin.

“Everything depended on that last race so we both were match racing,” said the victorious Hillier, who returned home yesterday. “We were not worrying about anyone else and were on the left side of the course all by ourselves just tacking and trying to cover each other.

“To be honest the first two races at the beginning of the day we weren’t worrying about each other and actually started at opposite sides of the line. It wasn’t until the last race when we knew we had to start getting down on each other so it was pretty intense.”

It was the past national Optimist and Laser champion’s first time competing at the Canadian regatta and his first triumph at a major event.

“This is my first time winning a major regatta like this and it was a great experience standing up there on the podium,” he said. “It was a very good experience and we had some good racing out there.”

During the five-day regatta sailors were confronted by variable conditions on the fresh waters of Lake Ontario.

“We had a bit of everything,” Hillier said. “Some days the wind was like 18-20 knots and one day it was like five knots.

“It was all about boat speed in that regatta most of the time because it was really shifty. When the conditions were light you had to find the wind and in the windy stuff you had to make sure you went fast and kept your standard up.

“There was also a thermal effect so when the land heated up it got windier throughout the day.”

Rounding off the top three in the Laser Radial fleet was Canada’s Luke Ruitenberg.

n Contest II extended its lead over nearest rivals Elizabeth II in the Coronation Cup points standings after scoring two bullets during the last round of fitted dinghy racing at Granaway Deep.

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) boat won two of the scheduled three races to walk away with the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC) Cup and Hurst Cup.

RHADC’s Elizabeth II won the second race to claim the Whitney Cup.

The next round of fitted dinghy racing is slated for August 26 at Mangrove Bay.

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