Eckerd Alumni Peter Stanton '06 sailing for the Virgin Islands, came within a 8 points of sailing his way to the medal stand at last month's Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While at Eckerd, Stanton was an exceptional sailor and a quiet leader for the team, but lately has been staying in the sailing news with keelboat events as well as in the Sunfish class where he finished 4th in the 2006 Sunfish World Championships.

Although the games were heralded as one of the best Pan Am Games in recent years, the light sailing conditions tested the competitor's patience. Over the course of 5 days, the race committee was able to complete the first 8 races, but the medal races were cancelled on the final day, leaving Stanton with no chance to move out of 4th place. Stanton put together a solid effort with races scores of 5-2-8-1-8-5-(10)-4, with the 10th place finish being discarded. This left Stanton just 8 points behind Olympic medalist Paul Foerster of the United States. Stanton displayed excellent boatspeed throughout the event and in the varying conditions, something he is known for in the Sunfish class.

Stanton returned home to St. Croix after graduation and has continued his passion for sailing with his brother aboard their Melges 30, while still finding time to train in singlehanded boats. In addition, he is helping to coach high school students on the island while working at a marina.