A Boothbay youth already has command of the high seas. Hamilton Barclay, 12, of Boothbay won the Maine State Opti Junior Championship on Aug. 2 at the Portland Yacht Club. Hamilton is the sixth BHYC member to win the title since 2001. Other local state champions include Nick Vos in 2001 and 2002, Ian McDermid in 2011, Jax van deer Veen in 2012 and Payton Thompson in 2013.

Barclay defeated 79 other youth competitors including eight from BHYC in claiming the championship. The championship includes six races over two days. Hamilton finished in the top three in each race. He posted two wins, a second and three third place finishes. The competitors navigate sailboats just short of eight feet long called optis. The sailboats were designed by Optimist International in the 1940s to promote youth sailing, according BHYC General Manager and Hamilton’s father Charles Barclay.

For Hamilton Barclay, the key component in winning the championship was consistency.

”You don’t want a lot of results where you’re finishing very high  and very low. You want to stay out of trouble and finish near the top. It’s a lot like golf where the low score wins,” he said.

Despite not even being a teenager, he is already an accomplished sailor. He learned sailing as a 6-year-old growing up in Hawaii. In 2015, his family moved to Boothbay. He learned more about the sport as a member of the BHYC Junior Sailing Program. His participation in sailing has proved an enjoyable experience and he’s made many friends who share his passion for the sport.

“It’s just a lot of fun being on the water. Sailing, in general, is a fun sport. Being on the water also has a calming effect on you, which also adds to the enjoyment.”

His success in sailing is no surprise to his father. Charles Barclay said his son’s sailing prowess comes from a desire to learn more about the sport.

“One factor in his success is he’s spent about 5,000 hours in a sailboat. He also is a great student. He reads about it and studies YouTube videos on becoming better.”

Hamilton Barclay also competes against older competition. He is a member of the BHYC’s high school club team which sails larger boats. The team sails International 420s, which have three sails. He also competes against and beats adult sailors. In an Aug. 6 regatta at the BHYC, he won the adult division sailing a J80. He continues racing on Aug. 9 and 10 in a two-person race.

His team will compete at the Harraseeket Youth Regatta and C420 state youth championship in Freeport.