Lakeside Loafers still in the lead 

Youngsters battle in windsurfing round two of the Eastern Region Team15 Inter-Club Championship

What a difference a couple of weeks make. Young windsurfing teams were treated to sunshine and warmth on Sunday June 10 as they competed at the second event in the RYA Team15 (T15) Inter-Club Championship held at Stanborough Park Lake, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. The only thing that was lacking was wind!

The event attracted competitors from Lakeside Loafers and Grafham Flyers as well as the local Stanborough Stormers T15 team. They spent the morning being coached by Andy Kerr the Scottish Squad coach and East Zone T15 co-ordinator Anna Bird, who has also been coaching with the Scottish Squad.

“We worked on switch stance, sailing with your back to the sail and ducking your sail. Everyone did really well. After lunch we ran five races and the wind made a welcome appearance for the last two. The wind was pretty shifty so we set a course, which had several options to make the most out of the difficult conditions,” explained Anna.

“For the last two races we did freestyle finishing! So the sailors had to pull a freestyle move as they crossed the finish line. The sailors that did particularly well or provided the race crew with the biggest laugh were Devon Brooks (Lakeside Loafers), Janek Trace-Kleeberg (Lakeside) and Madoc Miller (Stanborough Stormers).

The 3.5m fleet was pretty hotly contested between Robbie Kenealy (Grafham Flyers), Ishka trace-Kleeberg (Lakeside) and April Kenealy (Grafham) with only three points between first, second and third. And there was only one point in it between Lakeside’s Devon Brooks and Thomas Cave in the 6.8m fleet.

The stand out performances and merit awards went to Toby Cave, Lakeside, who won two races in the 4.5m class and Miles Smith, also of Lakeside, who made a huge improvement throughout the day.

“The quality of racing and sailing made a big jump through the day and was significantly better than the last event, another really good event!” commented Anna.

After two rounds Lakeside Loafers have a narrow lead in the inter-club competition, with two more events to go, at Brogborough Boardsailing Club near Bedford on July 21 and Grafham Water Centre, Huntingdon, on September 23.

Supported by industry leaders Tushingham/Starboard and Neil Pryde, T15 was set up by the RYA to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grass roots level.  

Fun and informal training sessions take place at T15 clubs all over the country for kids up to the age of 15, which are run weekly by specialist RYA coaches.  

The T15 inter-club championship takes place regionally over the summer adding a competitive edge and race training for those keen to hone their skills.  

Kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low.   

To get involved with Team15 and locate your nearest local club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400