Mikey Wollmann came from behind to capture a maiden Open Bic North American Championship title at the first attempt in Hamilton Harbour yesterday.

The 14-year-old Saltus student reeled in overnight leader and sister Ceci on the final day of the three-day regatta to claim overall bragging rights among the 32-boat fleet.

Yesterday’s gentle breezes played to Mikey’s advantage and the promising teenager made the most of the conditions, winning four of the last five races to pip his elder sibling for overall honours by a solitary point.

“I would not have been too disappointed if Ceci had beaten me because she is my sister,” Mikey said.

“But I am glad that I won and it is an honour because this is the first North American I have competed in.”

Mikey trailed his sister by four points heading into the final races and did just enough to get across the line.

“You just had to stay within yourself and not go too crazy with the shifts,” he added. “You just had to continue trying your hardest each race.”

Mikey’s triumph more than compensated for a disappointing showing at the IODA South American Championship in Uruguay the previous week.

His sister gave it as good as she had, posting three podium finishes including a win in the sixteenth race. But in the end it was not enough as poor starts and the light air conditions took their toll.

“I did better in the heavier wind because I am bigger,” Ceci said. “But when it was lighter wind it was a bit difficult for me and I did not have good starts.”

Ceci, 16, topped the overall leaderboard for most of the regatta before the title slipped through her fingers after she finished four boats behind her brother in the last race.

“I was leading into the last race, but he beat me,” said Ceci, who also attends Saltus. “Mikey won so I am not all that disappointed.

“I thought he was going to beat me in the beginning. But then I was leading him the whole time, which was quite surprising.”

If it was any consolation, Ceci finished as the top female sailor at the regatta.

Rounding off the overall top three in the fleet was Lars von Sydow, of Hawaii, who beat Bermuda’s Peter Dill for the last spot on the podium.

Dill started the day in third but could not keep the charging Sydow at bay.

Sydow, 14, sailed consistently when it mattered most to deny Bermuda of a clean sweep of the podium.

“I am very happy with my place,” Sydow said. “Mikey and Ceci were super good and it was really hard to beat them.

“It was fun, though, and we had little bit of everything in terms of the wind.”

Neil Redburn, the vice commodore of regatta hosts Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, hailed the outstanding performances of the Wollmann siblings and Dill.

“The three of them are very good, consistent sailors,” he said. “They have come up through the Optimist North Americans and South Americans and so on so they are very good, tactical sailors.

“It was a really good regatta; loads of fun and the sailors enjoyed it. They made new friends and had a blast.”

Hawaiian sailors swept the podium in the under-13 age group. Kanoa Pick, who led from start to finish, won the under-13 title by an eight-point margin over nearest rival John Lattanzi. Marcos Baez finished third.

The North American Championship featured young sailors ranging in ages from 9 to 16 from the United States, Europe and Bermuda.