Thames Valley Ribsters through to national final 

Harry Blaser and Alex Mitchell to represent the Thames Valley

Thames Valley young RIB drivers, Harry Blaser and Alex Mitchell, will be heading off to the national final of the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship after winning the Thames Valley Regional Final of the championship on Saturday (22 August 2009).  

The event, hosted by Black Swan Sailing Club in Hurst, saw 8 - 16 year old Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) drivers demonstrate their skills with the goal of winning a 4.8m Ribcraft RIB with a 50hp Honda four stroke engine on an Indespension trailer and an Icom 505 VHF radio for their club. It is open for all regional clubs and training centres to send two competitors for each of two categories: 8-12 and 13-16 year old.  

8-12's

Harry Blaser (10) of Black Swan Sailing Club, and a relative newcomer to powerboating, won the 8-12 category. He exclaimed that he was “surprised and exhilarated” at the prospect of going to the national final .  

There are 15 Regional Finals, and the winner in each age group will take part in the national final which will be held at  the PSP Southampton Boat Show on Sunday, 13 September 2009.

13-16's

Alex Mitchell (15) came first in the 13-16 group, and said, “I’m really happy to have won today and I'm going to give it my all at the nationals - it would be amazing to win that too!" Alex enjoys windsurfing at Queen Mary Sailing Club and took to powerboating whilst driving safety boats there as part of his role as Assistant Instructor.      

The course

The course involved tricky timed manoeuvres, including a high speed slalom and reversing around buoys, to test every aspect of powerboat driving. Skill and control, and not necessarily speed, were the most important factors to help the young drivers achieve winning times.

Andrew Norton, RYA Motor Cruising Projects Manager, who runs the Championship said, “The challenge is all about getting more youngsters involved in powerboat driving, teaching them the skills to do it safely and responsibly early on. It’s great to see the kids so keen to learn.”

The event was blessed with ideal weather, sunshine and a very light breeze providing perfect conditions for a day on the water.  

A word from Honda

Martin Moll, Head of Marketing for event sponsor Honda said: "We are very proud and pleased to be associated with the RYA Youth RIB Challenge for another year because it allows us to create links with the wider community - giving a younger generation access to our products and helping them engage with interactive, team based, social activities. Furthermore, as a manufacturer which puts safety at the heart of everything we do, the RIB Challenge gives us a great opportunity to underline this commitment."    

Thanks to Championship sponsors Honda, Ribcraft, ICOM and Indespension Trailers.