Things just can?t get much better for Bermuda?s talented Optimist sailing team.

Just a couple of months after winning the South American Team Championships in Chile, the Island?s youngsters, all aged between 11 and 14, have this week lifted the North American Team Championships off Texas.

The victory marked the third successive year that Bermuda had won the North Americans ? despite being by far the smallest of the 13 competing countries.

It was in April that the young sailors snared the Nations Cup off Algarrobo, Chile, and this week the Bermuda number one team of Sean Bouchard, Oliver Riihiluoma, Cameron Pimentel, Peter Miller and Eijah Simmons were just as impressive.

Sailing out of the Texas Corinthian Yacht Club, the Bermudians easily won their preliminary round against Peru, Brazil and Mexico and headed straight to the quarter-finals where they disposed of Argentina II, USA I and USA II.

In the semi-finals, Bermuda won the first two races against Japan in the best-of-three series to book a spot in the final against USA III.

That best-of-three final saw the Americans win the first race in a tie-break but that seemed only to make the Bermuda team more determined as they bounced back to clinch the next two and the title.

Bermuda also entered two other teams who raced in Group D.

Bermuda II lost out on a place in the quarter-finals when they were narrowly beaten by Argentina II on a tie-break.

Meanwhile, of the 15 Bermuda youngsters currently competing in Texas, several are enjoying success in the individual competition, with five of them currently among the top nine.