BARRINGTON - Sailors from 16 countries spent last week at Barrington Beach, and many of them stayed with host families or in nearby hotels. The team from Hong went a different route, however, as they rented a house right on Barrington Beach.
They were in town to compete in the Barrington Yacht Club sponsored 2005 Laser 4.7 World Championship.
The black, red and yellow Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club flag flew from the deck of the chalet-style home located at the bottom of Bay Road. The laser 4.7 team — consisting of Andrew Houston-Floyd, Charles Walther and Weike Kimman — their coach and Ms. Kimman's parents shared the home.
Sytske Kimman, Weike's mother was the driving force to find better, more convenient accommodations than the rooms they had booked near the airport in Warwick.
"We arrived early and decided to organize an alternative to the hotel. We called all the houses for rent and drove around. It was a lifeguard here at the beach who told us the house next door (to the beach) was empty," she said. "We contacted the owner and more or less told him he had no choice to rent it to us."
The homeowner was reluctant to rent it because it needed maintenance, but he went in, made some improvements and later agreed. Team members and their parents spent time doing some additional cleaning and moved in. They were scheduled to stay through the end of the regatta, which wrapped up last weekend.
"This is the best. It is much better than the hotel. The Australian team comes over and hangs out with us. We have been enjoying it," Weike Kimman said.
For she and teammate Charles Walther, this was their first trip to Rhode Island.
"I didn't know Rhode Island was a state. I thought it was a part of Long Island," Mr. Walther said.
Sailing challenges
In addition to finding the house, the Hong Kong team members had difficulty finding equipment to rent for the regatta.
Christina Houston, Andrew's mother, said it was a frustrating process to secure lasers and other sailing gear needed to compete.
"We had some logistical headaches. Many companies won't take a credit cards over the Internet for international orders. We had to make many phone calls to get what we needed," Mrs. Houston said.
Participating in the regatta is an expense for the sailors and their parents, especially for those who are from outside the United States. The team did have support from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
Mrs. Houston said the accommodations at the beach house and the hospitality from organizers at Barrington Yacht Club were fantastic.
"I can't say enough about this regatta. This has been a great experience for the kids," Mrs. Houston said.
By Joan D. Warren
jwarren@eastbaynewspapers.com