Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico - International Regatta competition anxiety is spreading throughout the Vallarta Yacht Club and the Paradise Village area in Nuevo Vallarta. Beginning on Friday, the fourth of July, the first of 227 excited young sailors, their coaches and Team Leaders, arrived at the Puerto Vallarta International airport from 19 countries around the globe to compete in the 2014 Optimist North American (OptiNAM) championship.

The sailors are young; with all of them aged 15 years or younger. They have spent the past year competing within their respective countries to earn the right to represent their country in this internationally recognized sailing championship.

Prior to their arrival on Monday and Tuesday, many of the teams have been undergoing intense special training in their home countries, and now they will be spending an additional week of training here in Vallarta to familiarize themselves with the wind and current conditions of Banderas Bay.

And though all the boats that were brought to Vallarta for this championship were manufactured to strict specification, they are still subject to official measurement and safety inspection to ensure they meet the standard requirements. These details will be checked by an inspection team led by a certified "International Measurer."

The Championship Opening Ceremony will take place at the Paradise Village Convention Center the evening of July 11 with racing commencing the following day and continuing through the 16th of July. The best viewing of these races from ashore is the award winning Nuevo Vallarta beach.

Following the OPTINAM Closing ceremony on July 16, the Vallarta Yacht Club and Paradise Village Marina will be co-hosts for the 8th International Banderas Bay Fishing Tournament with the weigh-in and awards ceremony at the yacht club the evening of July 19.

Vallarta Yacht Club’s popular annual Youth Summer Sailing Camps will begin the following Monday morning, July 21st. These sailing camps are open to youths ages 7-8 to 21 years with sailing experience from beginner to advanced skill levels. These summer camps have routinely attracted vacationing families from the USA and Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, Mexico.

For more information about OPTINAM 2014 and volunteering opportunities, please go to optinam2014.org, and follow us on Facebook.