2016 Opti Midwinters
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FEBUARY 6 & 7
Del Rey Yacht Club is proud to host the 2016 Optimist Midwinter Regatta. This event is the fourth installment of the SCYYRA Optimist Carrie Series, as well as the SCYA Midwinters. The regatta is held in honor of Stephen M. Pitts, who grew up in the Del Rey Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program.
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Stephen M Pitts: 1989 - 2009
It is a privilege for our club and junior program to honor Stephen Pitts with this regatta. Every so often a child arrives at a sailing program and within a short period of time, they are hooked. This was the case with Stephen.
He immediately loved the ocean and sailing on it was exactly where he wanted to be. Stephen was nine when this revelation hit him and within three weeks he was asking to race. Eventually he was attending all the regattas and competing successfully, first in Sabots, then in FJ’s. That was until he was sixteen, when he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He passed away three years later after a hard fought battle with the disease. Twice Stephen was voted by the Association of Santa Monica Bay Yacht Clubs (ASMBYC) to be honored as Junior Sportsman of the Year. Stephen naturally possessed a sense of fairness and grace that was notable to others, which was part of his uniqueness. |
