Vineyard Haven’s Rasmus Sayre added a few extra days to school vacation to win his age group at the Techno 293 Junior Windsurfing North American Championships held in Merritt Island, Fla. Raz, aged 12 and a seventh grader at Tisbury School, bested sailors from Mexico, U.S. and Canada to win the Under 15 age division. A series of eight races over three days determined the champions. The highlight of the event for Raz was competing against the Mexican team, which he had never seen before.

Rasmus qualifies for the world championships in France this July where there is much stiffer European competition. His ultimate goal, however, is to be the first non-European to win the world championships next summer in San Francisco when he is still eligible for the Under 15 division. He also looks forward to the East Coast Junior Championship, which will be hosted this year by Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, August 3 to 5.

Rasmus tuned up for the North American Championship over spring break by taking second in the Under 18 division at a smaller event in Sarasota, Fla., followed by a training camp in Cocoa Beach, Fla., with most of the top junior windsurfing talent in U.S. and Canada.