20-year old INTEC engineering student Sebastian Mera Cabral took the 2007 Sunfish World Championship last week at the Brant Beach Yacht Club in New Jersey. Mera defeated Malcolm Smith, a three-time world champion, in the 100-boat regatta.
This is the first time the DR wins the World Sunfish Championship.
Mera finished with just 26 points, compared to Smith’s 60 in the ten-race series, while Paul-Jon Patin, of the US, finished third with 63 points. The race was marked by light rain, winds in the 12-15 mph range, and record setting low temperatures in the upper 50s (about 14C).
Mera won the championship for his consistency. In four of the 10 races, he placed first, in three he placed second and in one he was seventh and in two he came eighth.
As reported in the New Jersey press, Mera competes in about five big races a year. In 2007, he’s been to Curacao, Brazil and twice to the Eastern seaboard of the US. But his real hope is to be in London for the 2012 Olympics. “I’m trying to start in Laser. That’s another boat,” Mera said. “Sunfish is my strongest point. But since Laser is an Olympic class, I’m going to shine in that.” For now, he’s the sparring partner for Raul Aguayo, who won the bronze medal in the Pan American Olympic Games in 2003.
www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/story/7498108p-7394492c.html