Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club

Event held in Grosse Point, Michigan

Thu, 07/25/2013 - 11:23

Payton Thompson hold the trophies she won at the National Sailing Championships. Courtesy of Tricia Thompson

Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club’s Payton Thompson was a regular at the awards podium at the U.S. Optimist Dingy Association National Sailing Championships July 6-14, winning medals in individual and team racing. In conditions ranging from 5-12 knots on Lake St. Clair in Grosse Point, Michigan, 294 sailors from around the United States raced the eight-foot Optimist dingy during the eight-day event.

In team racing, Thompson led a team of five sailors to win the National title. Her team (LISOT Black) won 26 of 27 races against 18 teams from around the United States in order to capture the trophy. Thompson, along with her four teammates, will travel to Berlin, Germany in October 2013 to represent the United States in the BMW Team Race Championships against 16 teams representing 13 countries from around the globe.

Following the Team Race Championships, Thompson went on to receive three individual medals in the National Fleet Racing Championships. She finished the event as the second girl in the nation, second in the Blue Fleet (11-12 year olds), and eighth overall.

Payton began sailing in Boothbay when she was 8 years old. She is currently a member of the US National Team and has competed around the United States and at five international events in Europe and South America. She is excited to travel to Hayama, Japan this August as one of seven sailors representing the United States at the Asian Championships. When she is not sailing in Boothbay, Thompson lives and sails in Annapolis, Maryland and trains with the Long Island Sound Optimist Team.

With over 130,000 boats worldwide, the 8-foot Optimist Dingy is one of the largest one-design sailboat class in the world.