Bermudian Sam Stan was crowned Bermuda Optimist national champion on Sunday after finishing just one point behind overall winner Roger Dorr and open champion of the US.

Cecilia Wollmann was crowned Bermuda's female Optimist national champion.

Some 54 sailors including 16 overseas sailors, competed in the PricewaterhouseCoopers 2009 Bermuda Optimist Open and national championship hosted by the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club. The sailors competed in the championship and Green Fleets.

The Championship Fleet is a component of the trials for the 2009 International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) South American Championships. The Green Fleet was held for the first time in Bermuda and is an event for beginner/intermediate sailors coached by Tom Coleman of McLaughlin Boats.

Bermuda's Optimist sailors aged between eight and 15-years-old have come out of the local club and the Waterwise programmes which introduces sailing and water skills to all Bermuda's Government schools as part of their curriculum.

The Championship Fleet enjoyed six races on Sunday in perfect conditions on the Great Sound, with brilliant blue skies and a steady eight to 12 knot south west breeze.

This was in sharp contrast to the conditions on Saturday, when only one race was completed as winds increased from 20 to 25 knots at the start to 30 to 35 knots at the finish. Some 32 boats competed in the Championship Fleet, 17 Bermudians and 15 visiting American sailors.

The Green Fleet was operating out of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC). With winds of 35 knots, the sailors stayed ashore on Saturday and enjoyed a full day of instruction from coach Coleman. Sunday was different story with blue skies and a perfect breeze. The 22 sailors enjoyed six races and Kenza "Blue" Wilkes showed his abilities by comfortably winning the Green Fleet with 10 points. Following in second place were James Amarel (17 points), Nicholas Siese of Sandy's Boat Club with 21 points and 10-year-old Lily Barboza (22 points) who was the leading girl.

The next group of sailors were led by eight-year-old Campbell Patton (31 points) in fifth place, followed by Eric Hansen (36 points) from the US. Seventh place and the second female was the youngest competitor on the water, eight-year-old Matilda Nicholls on 42 points.

At the prize giving on Sunday night at the RHADC all the Green Fleet sailors were acknowledged and coach Coleman made special awards to Lily Barboza for her outstanding sailing and Thomas Penruddocke for his good sportsmanship.