Sesto-Cosby pips cream of the crop to win Country Cup
LOCAL Optimist sailor Santiago Sesto-Cosby has beaten the best-of-the-best to become the first British sailor to win the Country Cup.
Fresh from winning the International Ora Cup last week, 14-year-old Santi finished the three-round race in first-place to add to this summer’s already impressive trophy haul.
Each nation’s sailing governing body selects its national champion or the highest-ranked sailor available to enter the Country Cup.
The Optimist class is a youth class for sailors up to the age of 15. With Santi being 14 years old, this will be his final race in the one-person boat.
Santi, the number one ranked Optimist sailor in Britain and the current national champion, was joined on the podium by Ireland’s Rocco Wright, who came second, and Greece’s Elizabeth Anna Winters in third.
Priestlands’ student and Royal Lymington Yacht Club sailor, Santi, told the A&T: “This year I was delighted to be selected for Country Cup. It’s a prestigious event in which the best of each nation gather to race against each other.
“Conditions are tricky, and you have to be a good starter to be able to dominate from the gun. Otherwise, it is tough to climb up positions. With all the top sailors from around the globe here, it is extremely competitive racing where you spend the majority of the time tacking and fighting amongst each other for every position.”
“It was a great honour to represent my country in these of races, but even more so to become the first-ever GBR sailor to win this one-day event. It was very rewarding to be able to compete here to show to myself what I had in me after a pretty much non-existent 2020 race calendar.
“What a way to bring my optimist career to an end.”
Santi added: “I also want to thank North Sails and Winner Team. Plus a special thank you to my coach Mauro Berteotti and his team from Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda for being such fun to sail with. I will never forget the times I spent with them all in Lake Garda, the most spectacular place to sail.”
