Two of Bermuda's top future sailing prospects, Joshua Greenslade and Blake Burgess, recently swept their Christchurch School Seahorses team to victory in a major regatta in Virginia, USA.

The former Optimist sailors put in a dominant performance sailing in the 420s in light air conditions on Rappahannock River, accumulating a remarkable 11 bullets between them as the Seahorses locked up their first Leukaemia Cup in style and with it the Virginia Interscholastic Sailing Association (VISSA) Spring Series Fleet Racing championship.

"This is the first time we have won the Leukaemia Cup. By winning the Leukaemia Cup we have now moved up to first place for the state standings in fleet racing," commented 15-year-old sophomore Burgess.

"The wind was moderate in the morning and slowly dropped out as the day went on.

"The conditions were very testing and you could clearly see who were the dominating teams.

"The A1 and A2 fleets raced together. Joshua competed in the A1 fleet, which is very competitive. He won all of the six races while I won five of the six races in the A2 fleet, which is also very competitive."

Burgess and Greenslade's compatriot, Jono Dill, couldn't race for the Seahorses as he had to sit exams.

Last month the trio helped their school qualify for a maiden National Fleet and Team Racing Championship by winning the Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Sailing Association (MASSA) District Fleet Racing Championship and Mallory National Qualifier at King's Point in New York.

"This was the first time our school has qualified for the national event and so it was a pretty proud moment for us," added an elated Burgess.

"It was a very good experience and we met lots of people and also got to see old friends."

By clinching the VISSA Spring title last weekend, the CCS Seahorses also completed the coveted double having won the Fall title last December.

Burgess, Greenslade and Dill departed Virginia yesterday for St. Petersburg, Florida where they will compete in this weekend's National Fleet Racing Championships brimming with confidence.

"This is the first time any CCS team has ever gone to a national championship and I believe we have a good chance of doing really well," said Burgess.

"The way we have been sailing lately we are pretty confident that we can manage a top five finish."

Following this weekend's event in Florida, the Seahorses will then travel to Redwood City, California where they will compete in the National Team Racing Championships.