Local veterans from last year's Optimist Dinghy World Championships made up the top three in qualifying for this year's event.

The high winds of the Christmas holidays saw the completion of qualifying for the five spots allocated to Bermuda for the championships in Corpus Christi, Texas, this summer.

Not surprisingly the older, larger sailors prevailed in an extremely close series involving 22 sailors in the Great Sound.

In winds ranging from 15 to 25 knots, mimicking expected conditions in Texas, 13-year-old Jesse Kirkland followed up his Orange Bowl victory in Miami by dominating the series with a perfect score after discarding three second places.

Edward Thompson (14) and Jonathan Kempe (14) placed second and third.

Geoffrey Smith (14) eased into fourth, but a real race ensued for the final spot between Rajae Woods (14), 13-year-old Oliver Kempe and Katrina Williams (13). Kempe led Woods heading into the final two races, but the latter picked the windshifts to pass Kempe by a point over the 15 races.

Sailors now take a month off before national coach Pablo Weber returns to begin preparation for the 2002 season, which includes the IODA Colonial North American Championships to be held in Bermuda this summer.