The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemeedi.net

JOSS Knowles got off to one of the best starts ever for The Bahamas on day one of the 55th International Sunfish Class Association’s Open World Championships in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Knowles, one of two Bahamians competing in the 12-race series, picked up a tenth place in the first of the three races on Tuesday and is currently sitting in 22nd place out of a field of 74 competitors.

Tanaj Manos, the other member of Team Bahamas, is 41st. Both competitors are representing the Exuma Sailing Club and are sponsored by “Friends of Exuma.”

Dallas Knowles, head coach for Team Bahamas, said he’s confident the pair of sailors will keep performing, even as they face stiff competition.

“The wind should pick up tomorrow, so we are hoping that our guys will be better,” Knowles said. “But we’re off to a good start, but it’s very competitive out here. 

“There’s about ten boats between you and the fleet, so it sounds like you’re way in the back, but everybody is pretty close. So we just have to keep sailing.”

For Joss Knowles, who admitted that the conditions were very choppy on the water with a lot of wind.

“In the first two races, I was going with the fleet in the upper 20s, but there are so many ex-world champions and Olympians out there, so I’m just happy that I could finish where I did,” he said.

As for Manos, he said it was pretty good.

“The first race was definitely a confidence booster,” he said. “We had some pretty good placements, and I finished in the top 20. But in the last two races, we started with no wind and ended up with some, so we had to switch up what we were trained to do, so I’m hoping that this would be my worst two races in the series.”

At the end of the championships, one spot will be awarded for the Pan American Games, and Knowles said they will give it a push to secure.