CARTAGENA, Colombia—With Bryshaun Scatliffe and Sean Anderson returning BVI sailing to the Central American Games for the first time since 1993, a new era for the sport in international competition has begun.

While neither of the 17-year olds had performances near what they expected, their games debut lays the foundation for future competitions once they apply themselves.

“I would say it was a valuable experience based on their inexperience. I think they learnt a lot from their first CAC Games and it will be a big step for the next one,” Coach Ewan Anderson said. “I think over the next four years (a) they will have to do a lot of sailing (b) we have to set up the sailing so they are ready for this hard week. Our young guys were not ready for this hard week.”

Sean he said came off competing in the World Youth Championships in England, while Scatliffe wasn’t quite ready. He said it’s quite an experience and they need to make steps and this was a great one.

“It’s a very hard place to set yourself up for these events because there’s a lot going on,” Anderson noted. “There are lots of distractions, lots of team sports. Just the logistics of getting people from point A to B, takes up half of your day. Unless you are prepared to get up at six o’clock in the morning and finish at midnight every night, you are going to miss a couple of races, you are not going to be ready you’re going to forget something. It was almost an hour from the village to sailing. If you forgot something, that was two hours to get back to the event. We had very little preparation and I think that did not help getting our guys to the races and having them prepared, but, we’ll be ready next time.”

When asked how motivated the 17 year olds would be after their games experience, Anderson said in terms of the competition, they would be motivated. But, a four year period between the games is a long time and lots of things changes with teenagers.

With regards to the 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio, Brazil, 11 months away, Anderson said in order to be ready for that, the young sailors must spend a considerable time on the water.

“They have to be out there day in day out,” he said. “Some of these guys are out there five days a week, some of them goes to sailing schools. They were racing against a 30 year old guy, who all he as done since was 12 was go to sailing school. That is something seven countries have, that we don’t have in the BVI. These guys have to go out on the water everyday, at least four, five days a week. We have to get a coach or trainer—someone specific in the particular type of sailing—and practice, practice, practice, and be ready for next years event, with lots of time on the water.”