Submitted by San Juan Island Sailing Foundation
Perham “Per” Black, a senior at Spring Street International School in Friday Harbor, is one of 18 youth sailors headed to Florida to compete in the Cressy Cup Laser Radial Division. This competition is considered the United States high school national championships for singlehanded sailing of Laser Radial sailboats.
Black earned his place to compete in the nationals in a regional competition held at Seattle’s Shilshole Marina on Sept. 23 and 24, racing against the best high school sailors from around the Northwest. At the Shilshole Marina races, Black joined his fellow competitors who were greeted by a light southerly on Saturday morning. This proved to be quite stable and peaked around eight knots by noon. The breeze then began to fade, and by 3 p.m. it had shut off completely. The wind never really materialized Sunday, and only one race was completed in very light winds. Black and Owen Timms, of Olympia, consistently finished ahead of the pack, and ended first and second, with Timms recording 12 points, and Black 14. Their nearest competitors, from Bainbridge Island, had 34 points. Both will represent the northwest in St. Petersburg, Florida from Oct. 27 through 29 in the Cressy Cup.
Black sails on the youth sailing team, operated by the San Juan Island Sailing Foundation, which sponsors and supports youth sailing. The team typically has 15 to 20 sailors each year with high school students from Friday Harbor High School, Spring Street International School, and Griffin Bay School.
The San Juan Island Sailing Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance sailing in the San Juan Islands. The foundation’s primary focus is to provide sailboats and coaching for the SJI Youth Sailing Team and funds participation in regional regattas. The Foundation also provides boats, equipment, and volunteers to support San Juan Island Parks & Recreation’s Summer sailing classes for beginning and intermediate sailors of all ages. The Foundation has also had youth sailors from Shaw Island on the sailing team and collaborates with the Orcas High School Sailing Team. For photos, videos and information, visit www.facebook.com/sjisf.
