North BYS Regional Junior Championships 2022
Young sailors had a chance to develop and test their skills across a range of conditions at the BYS Regional Junior Championships hosted by Ullswater Yacht Club.
The event on Saturday and Sunday 18-19 June 2022 was one of five British Youth Sailing (BYS) Regional Junior Championships taking place simultaneously around the country, following on from the events for windsurfers the previous weekend.
Ullswater saw more than a hundred boats and 125 junior sailors from across the RYA North East and RYA North West regions racing in the Championship and Regatta fleets.
A further 24 youngsters had the chance to develop their knowledge and confidence on the water through ‘games with aims’ as part of the OnBoard fleet.
A blustery and gusty breeze on the Saturday provided a challenging but rewarding day of learning for many, while those in the championship racing fleet had an additional test for their tactics as a result of the conditions also proving to be shifty.
Regatta fleet
Regatta fleet coach Sam Usher, RYA North East Regional Development Officer, said: “It was challenging for the less experienced sailors but it was evident there was great progression through the day.
"The Sunday then had a softer breeze and it was fantastic to see that by lunchtime the vast majority of sailors were nailing the start. They were on the startline at go and sailing really well to the windward mark and the results speak for themselves.
"Sailors who had been right at the back had adapted to the conditions to move up the results. The lighter winds helped but there had also been a significant improvement in their skills which was really pleasing to see.”
The overall winners in each Regatta fleet class were: Optimist, Rose Versey (Derwent Res); RS Tera, Amelie Aston (Royal Windermere), RS Feva, James Aston/James Kay (Royal Windermere); Topper, Benjamin Smallwood (Budworth); Topper 4.2, Annabel Hayfield (Hollingworth).
Championship fleet
With the breeze up and down with big shifts on the Championship fleet racecourse, there were lots of snakes and ladders requiring quick thinking and tactical decision-making. Tight racing saw many of the results at the top of the fleet separated by just a point or two or on countback.
Standout performances included that of Thomas Whitehead (Filey SC), who won all six races to claim overall victory in the 16-boat RS Tera fleet; 2nd and 3rd overall were Lewis Gordon (Scaling Dam) and Matthew Boatman (Sunderland) with Olivia Dembinska (Ullswater) 1st girl and 4th overall.
The Topper 5.3 fleet with 25 entries was won by Rosanna Joyce (Budworth) on 9 points with Jasper Bramwell (Hollingworth) in 2nd and Christopher Hampshire (Ripon) in 3rd, both just a point further back with 10 points each and having to be separated on countback.
First overall in the 16-boat Optimist fleet was Toby Waggett (Teesdale SWC) counting a string of bullets and just 5 points, with 2nd overall and 1st girl claimed by Olivia Coady (Derwent Res) in a close finish on countback from teammate Alanna Starkie (Derwent Res) with both on 12 points.
Overall winner of the ILCA 4 fleet was Spirit Alderson (Derwent Reservoir) while the top two places in the RS Feva fleet were claimed by Windermere School boats, Felix Stewart/Zak Sanderson-Davies just a point ahead of Max Rawlinson/Edie Johnson, with Ben Welfare/Ada Daniels (Leigh & Lowton) 3rd and Charlotte Cooper/Harriet Wood (West Lancs) 1st girls.
All the results can be found here.
Regional Training Groups
Chris Blackburn, RYA Regional Performance Manager for the North, said: “The Championship fleet had close racing of a high standard and for sailors across the three fleets it was a really good weekend. Hopefully everyone will now be inspired for the rest of the season.”
A Club Trophy for the most entries in the BYS Regional Junior Championships from each region was awarded to Derwent Reservoir SC for the North East and Ullswater YC for the North West.
Aspiring junior sailors across the region are now invited to apply for the 2022-23 Regional Training Groups, which bring together young sailors for six weekends of on-water coaching plus off-water workshops to develop their racing skills.
Applications for the 2022-23 Regional Training Groups are open and will close on 11 September 2022. Dates and venues are still being finalised but the information so far and as it becomes available can be found here. Find out more about RYA Regional Training Groups and how to apply here.
Save the date!
Next year’s BYS Regional Junior Championships for the North region will take place over the weekend of 17-18 June 2023 at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club. Save the date and remember to share it with parents and junior sailors at your club or centre!