The first Chile Footy Encounter took place yesterday afternoon, with 75% of the current national fleet participating, this is, 3 Footy’s and corresponding captains. Given the little experience the kids have, we set up a short windward-leeward track, and defined to do only two legs on each regatta.
The attending captains were enthusiastic about the idea of doing a regatta, so once the buoys were set we started a quick 1-minute countdown. Regrettably, the wind was not in tune with the captains abillity to handle the boats: it was too strong, and they struggled to keep the boats in track, both when tacking and running. In fact, everyone had the experience of diving more than once. It took a while, but everyone managed to finish the regatta, some with the help of their parents, thou.
After this experience the kids lost their enthusiasm, dads took the helm and we did another quick regatta in the same format. And then— “lets go to the playground!!!” Yeah, we cannot expect the kids, being less than 10 years old, make a big effort to face difficult climate…
In summary, the result of the First Chile Footy Encounter was good. The kids liked participating in a regatta, it was a nice first experience, and they were happy with their new Footy hats. More pictures in the gallery.