Viridian Sailing Center regattas draw national, international competitors

Published 7:00pm on 18 Sep 2022

The recent RS Aero Texas State Championship and Firecracker Regatta as well as the inaugural RS Aero US Women's National Championship, hosted at the Viridian Sailing Center in Arlington, Texas, drew competitors from across the nation and even one international entrant.

Twenty-five competitors took to the water Sept. 17-18, 2022 representing 11 sailing clubs in seven states, plus one international entry from Australia. Four sailors were under the age of 18.

Eleven women competed in the RS Aero US Women's National Championship, the first international level regatta to be held at Viridian Sailing Center.

"Viridian Sailing Center was chosen to host the event by the national Aero Association because of center's beautiful fleet of 30 boats the largest fleet in the nation and because of the club's cadre of active women racers," said Cynthia Griffith, women's national championship regatta chair. "The event was a rousing success and hopefully will begin a legacy of many, many years of women's US national championships to highlight women in the sport of sailing. "

The women had the option to cross register and compete in both regattas. Christine Barbour did and came away with titles in the Aero 5 Class in both races. She said she enjoys any opportunity to sail with Viridian.

"It's easy to see the draw that brought incredible competition and people to this venue," Barbour said. "Everything that went into the unbelievable dinner, goodie bags and awards was so impressive that I can't imagine missing out on another Viridian-hosted regatta. "

Trin Ollinger and Emily Wagner finished second and third, respectively, in the Aero 5 Class. Melissa Solnick took first place in the Aero 7 Class followed by Magdalena Chavez in second and Cynthia Griffith in third.

Firecracker Regatta Overall Winner and RS Aero Class 7 Texas State Champion Hank Saurage also enjoys sailing on Lake Viridian.

"The venue is one of the most challenging places to sail," said Saurage. "Shifty and unpredictable wind on this relatively small body of water really challenges the fleet. Competition is always fierce, and the organizers and volunteers do an incredible job with hosting this regatta."

Saurage won the Aero Class 7 race followed by Long Ta in second and Philip Myerson in third. Winners of the RS Aero Texas State Championship Aero 9 Class included David Valentine in first, Ash Beatty second and Stephen Coward third. Christine Barbour won the Aero Class 5 race followed by Emily Wagner in second and Carrie Hatfield in third.

Sponsoring the RS Aero Women's North American Championship were Aircraft Extrusion Co., Harken Derm, West Coast Sailing and Zhik. Sponsors of the Firecracker Regatta and Texas State RS Aero Championship were Viridian, The Nehemiah Company, Mariner Sails, David DeVries, Heidi and Kelly Gough, Inga Adams with Citiwide Alliance Realty, Zim Sailing and Vela Sailing.

Viridian Sailing Center is one of the signature amenities found in Arlington master-planned community Viridian. Annual passes for Viridian residents and non-residents are available for purchase. Passholders have access to all the sailing center facilities and first-class sailboats, kayaks, and paddleboards any time during open hours for the year. Paddleboards and kayaks are also available for two-hour rentals, no pass required.