Young Rehoboth Beach sailor makes debut in Annapolis
Rehoboth Beach junior sailor Alden Durrell of Proteus Yacht Club and Team Breakwater made his racing debut in his International Optimist Dinghy in the Annapolis Yacht Club’s 2020 Halloween Howl Regatta, a USODA Green Fleet-sanctioned event.
Alden has been sailing out of Lewes with his coach Bradley Adam and Team Breakwater of Proteus Yacht Club since April in preparation for his first regatta. Alden recently turned 9 and was one of the youngest sailors in the fleet of 21 boats that launched into Spa Creek. Alden competed in six races, improving his finishing place with each race, and by the end of the day he finished mid-fleet overall. He was cheered on the water by his parents Nicole and Robert Durrell, and his younger brother Quinlan, who will turn 6 this November and is planning on following in his big brother’s footsteps next spring.
The Optimist Sailing Dinghy, otherwise known as an Opti, is a single-handed sailboat designed for children ages 6 to 15, with more than 150,000 children in 110 countries sailing within this class. In the United States, the fleet is governed by the United States Optimist Dinghy Association. For more information, go to USODA.org.
