Breeze on for RYA Eric Twiname Junior Championships 2025
More than 340 sailors and windsurfers competed across a spectacular three days of racing in glamour conditions for the 2025 RYA Eric Twiname Junior Championships.
Over the May Bank Holiday weekend (3-5 May 2025) aspiring young athletes from across the UK gathered at Rutland Sailing Club and Plas Heli, Pwllheli, to compete for honours in British Sailing Pathway classes while also representing their Region or Home Country.
Although previous editions over recent years have often had a lack of wind or light airs, 2025 did not disappoint with sunshine and breeze-on for an action-packed schedule of mixed racing formats at both venues.
Providing a fantastic learning environment of camaraderie and competition, courses ranged from traditional to novel and from short to marathon, and while individual sailors all had their own favourites, what they most enjoyed was the variety.
There were medals for those achieving podium results and the championships also saw many young sailors achieving personal bests – whether discovering the resilience to stay out for a full day in demanding conditions, making it to the first mark in the top few or finding the determination to gain places downwind.
Next generation
As ever, the Eric Twiname Junior Championships was about so much more than simply the results on the scoreboard, providing an ideal opportunity for young sailors of all ages and levels to develop their skills and try out new ideas.
Dinghy championship event director Andy Baker said: “The ETs were amazing this year and all the fleets at Rutland enjoyed 16 races, making for a busy time on the water alongside a sociable scene on shore for sailors and parents.
“We use this event to trial new race formats and ensure we continue to develop the sport, especially at junior level, and what clubs could do to excite and engage their young members. Short-course racing proved popular, our longest race was rarely over 30 minutes. We also used a 3, 2, 1, Go starting sequence to limit the waiting around pre-start.
“Rutland Sailing Club was a fantastic venue and a big thank you also goes to the Eric Twiname Trust for supporting our next generation of sailors, and to all the race officials and volunteers without whom these events would not be possible.”
Principal Race Officer at Rutland was Zed Spencer-Milnes supported by ROs Andy Young and Brenda Davis as part of a 70-strong team of volunteers, including Helen Middleton-Stewart, who was timing on the committee boat for the RS Feva, RS Tera and Optimist fleets.
Helen said: “There has been so much enthusiasm from the sailors and even though it’s been quite challenging at times in the breezy conditions and with so many different races, it’s been absolutely fantastic. I’ve sailed all my life and it’s given me so much, so now my way of helping and staying involved with the sport is to be a volunteer. It’s been a great weekend.”
Festival vibe
Amelie Ballantyne, aged 14, of Starcross Yacht Club and representing the South West, finished second girl in the Topper 5.3 fleet at her first ever Eric Twiname Junior Championships.
Amelie said: “I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve been trying out a new boat and I’ve liked the variety of formats. It’s an opportunity to learn new techniques and race other sailors who are better than you to see how others do it. I’ve had the most fun that I’ve ever had at a sailing event because everyone’s been having a really good time.”
With many parents making the most of the venue to camp on site, Region and Home Country teams – sailors and parents - were able to gather to enjoy old and new friendships.
Amelie’s mum Freya, who was volunteering as a safety boat crew, said: “It’s like a festival of sailing which is great for the parents as well as the sailors because we’ve been able to socialise and it’s a safe environment for the children. It’s been really well organised, and the atmosphere has been relaxed and family friendly. It was our first ETs and it’s right up there with our favourite sailing events, it’s been a big hit!”
Scotland’s Hamish Pawson-Munro, aged 11, who travelled all the way from Aberdeen and Stonehaven Yacht Club and finished mid fleet in the Oppies, declared it had been well worth the 900-mile round trip from home as the event’s most northerly competitor.
Finishing with smiles on the slipway, Hamish said: “We had a good amount of wind and competitive racing. I capsized just after the start of the marathon race but carried on and was overtaking boats. My highlight of the weekend was then the last race of the last day when it got really windy and I got a 14th - my best result of the championship!”
Fellow Scottish sailors Eve Black and Lily Hopkins of Prestwick SC, racing in the RS Feva class, were likewise enjoying honing their skills the ETs and said: “We wanted to get a bit of practice and more experience in bigger races and fleets. You get to make a lot of friends and it doesn’t matter what place you come as long as you try your hardest and go for it.”
South region’s Ruby Coster from Royal Lymington Yacht Club is transitioning into ILCAs and also entered to see what the fleet was like and gain some experience, adding: “It’s really fun because I’ve seen lots of people from Oppies and it’s nice seeing loads of new people and meeting new friends, and I like all the different race lengths.”
Topper sailor Adam Green, of Northern Ireland, recommends that junior sailors who haven’t yet experienced the ETs give it a go: “It’s very popular and there’s a lot of sailors and it’s good competition. I would say come along because you never know until you try it and it’s actually quite good fun!”
Winning teams
Special awards went to RS Tera Sport sailor Bente Schuerch from the home club Rutland SC for Sportsmanship and to the overall winners of the Marathon Race, RS Feva sailors Thomas and Daniel Whitehead of Filey SC.
The Eric Twiname Dinghy and Windsurfing Trophies were both scooped by the North region, along with the overall ET Shield, to a roaring cheer from sailors and parents at the prizegivings.
North coach Graeme Rowe said: “I’m so proud of all the North sailors and windsurfers – it’s been a fantastic event in great conditions at both Rutland and Pwllheli and it’s the second year we’ve won the Eric Twiname Shield. We’ve got so many great young athletes coming through in the North and the environment for young sailors in the region is really fantastic.”
North sailor Oscar Davenport, who with Laia Priestley of Ullswater Yacht Club won the RS Feva mixed team prize, said: “I’m really happy with the weekend, it’s my first fleet ETs and I felt the racing was really quick and sharp and we enjoyed the mix of formats. It’s been a great event with a really good atmosphere.”
Also among the North region medal winners were siblings Harry and Molly Wilson from Filey Sailing Club, who were attending their fourth ETs and achieved their best ever results with both on the podium. Harry, who won the RS Tera Sport fleet overall, said: “It kept getting windier on every beat and every run right up to the end of the championship. My favourite race was the marathon because it was long and you had some time to gain positions.”
Molly, first girl and second overall in the RS Tera Pro, added: “We had challenging and changing conditions - windy and shifty, and racing on different areas of the lake and different courses - so we were having to adjust all the time. In terms of fun, I’d say it was 9 or 10 out of 10!”
Overall results RYA Eric Twiname Junior Championships – Dinghies at Rutland
Windsurfing at Pwllheli
At the Welsh National Sailing Academy, Plas Heli, Pwllheli, there were 42 entries for the windsurfing competition of the Eric Twiname Junior Championships.
Running the same busy schedule as the dinghy event and likewise with a variety of formats – including slalom and windward-leeward – PRO Eilidh Millar and the competitors made the most of the breeze that came out to play across all three days.
With fleet racing for the various rig sizes of the Techno 293, there was a main course in Cardigan Bay supported by the coaching team Cam Coghill and Ali Masters, and a smaller course off the beach supported by James Hardy and GB athlete Catrin Williams for those on the smallest sails or newer to racing, with everyone completing between 11 to 14 races.
Event director at Plas Heli, Robin Nicol of RYA Scotland, said: “It was quite challenging at times, especially when it was windy, but with the Techno World Championships coming to Pwllheli in summer this was a great opportunity to put some of the components in place for that and for the sailors develop their skills with our coaches.
“We had winds varying from 3 to 32 knots and wall to wall sunshine, with great competitive racing across all the fleets, and we also had some fantastic socials ashore. Plas Heli were great hosts, and we’ve had so much positive feedback about the event, everyone absolutely loved it!”
The championship had additional sponsorship and prizes thanks to O’Shea International and Boardwise. Shoreside activities included a barbecue and hog roast, and a hotly contested Star Wars themed sandcastle competition to celebrate the event coinciding with May the 4th (be with you!) – with an outstanding R2D2 alongside impressive Jabba the Hutts and Grogus/mini Yodas.
Coach Catrin Williams added: “All the competitors did really well, it was pretty tough out there with offshore winds and racing in all wind ranges but everyone had such a good time on the water. We were even able to get the young ones on the 3.5 slalom racing. It was so fun to team build with the sailors in a fierce sandcastle building competition after racing one evening! Thank you so much to Plas Heli and to O'Shea and Boardwise for sponsoring.”
North region 7.8 fleet competitor Ben Sigley summed up that it had been “a fantastic event with some great racing,” with brother Thomas Sigley adding: “We got plenty of good racing in under some tricky conditions, I had a great time.”
Parent Steven Reid, who’d travelled from Scotland with daughter Pippa, also in the 7.8, messaged: “Please pass on our thanks to everyone involved in setting up and running the ETs, it was a fabulous weekend.” And the dad of fellow Scottish teammate Blythe, Peter Brown, added: “The coaches in particular were absolutely fantastic in being encouraging and helping on and off the water. Well done everyone!”
Overall results Eric Twiname Junior Championships – Windsurfers
The RYA Eric Twiname Junior Championships always takes place over the first May Bank Holiday weekend – save the date for 2026 and we’ll see you there!