A 14-year-old Hudgins resident placed third in the Windmill Class Junior National Regatta held last Thursday at Fishing Bay Yacht Club in Deltaville.

Michaeldión Davis-Ruskovich, a rising Mathews High School freshman, was the skipper on the 15-foot Windmill sailboat, which is owned by Collin Browning of Tampa, Fla. Browning served as crew.

The three-hour regatta consisted of three races, said Capt. Will Story (USN-ret.), who has been mentoring Michaeldión for the past 2½ years. All three races were about the same distance, he said, but each one was oriented differently for different kinds of sailing. Michaeldión and Browning came in third, first and fifth, giving them the points to finish third overall.

Story said that Michaeldión has developed the knowledge and skill required for sailing and is "a fine seaman." It’s quite an accomplishment to win a national race the first time out, he said. Competitors in the race came from as far north...