Regional Junior Championships entries set to open!
British Youth Sailing will open entries for the 2020 Regional Junior Championships – a series of regattas all over the country that form a festival of sailing for youngsters – on Tuesday August 25.
Five regattas will take place over the weekend of September 26 and 27 catering for youngsters who sail in the RS Tera Sport, Optimist, Topper and RS Feva classes.
Each event will feature a championship fleet for seasoned racers and an OnBoard Fun fleet for first timers. A series of five events solely for windsurfers will also be held at different locations (see below for full schedule).
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of precautions will be implemented to ensure the Regional Junior Championships regattas remain safe and enjoyable.
Numbers will be limited at each regatta and entry will be on a first come, first served basis once applications go live at 10am on Tuesday August 25. Due to the manual approval process of entries, the RYA website may accept entries after the quotas have been filled. In this circumstance you will be contacted to arrange a refund.
Each host club will use their own safety procedures, however all will follow the RYA’s COVID 19 guidance for major events.
At some events, the OnBoard Fun fleet racing will be held at a different location to the championship fleet racing. Please see here for the latest information about the OnBoard Fun fleet.
The dinghy schedule is as follows:
| Region | Venue | Sat 26th | Sun 27th | Entries per day |
| North | Ullswater Yacht Club | Topper and Feva | Optimist and Tera Sport | 60 |
| Midlands | Draycote Water Sailing Club | Optimist and Topper | N/A | 90 |
| London & SE | Datchet Water Sailing Club | Topper and Feva | Optimist and Tera Sport | 60 |
| East | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Topper and Feva | Optimist and Tera Sport | 50 |
| South & SW | WPNSA | Topper and Feva | Optimist and Tera Sport | 100 |
| Region | Venue | Dates | Entries per day |
| North | Glossop Sailing Club | September 19 | 20 |
| Midlands | Burton Sailing Club | September 19 | 20 |
| London & SE | Datchet Water Sailing Club | September 19 | 60 |
| South | Andrew Simpson Sailing Centre, Portsmouth | September 26-27 | 20 |
| South West | WPNSA | September 19-20 | 20 |
Unfortunately due to the limitations on numbers at the Regional Junior Championships, it is not possible to host the ILCA 4/4.7 fleet. The RYA is working with the UKLA on an open and inclusive training programme, details of which will be released shortly at laser.org.uk.
Chris Atherton, RYA National Performance Manager, said: “In these uncertain times we’re delighted to be able to run the 2020 Regional Junior Championships, although naturally they will look and feel a bit different to previous years.
“The Regional Junior Championships have been a real hit with young sailors since we launched them in 2018, and the British Youth Sailing team has worked tirelessly to ensure this year’s regattas deliver the same amount of fun and quality racing in a safe environment.”
Results from the Regional Junior Championships will be considered by British Youth Sailing in issuing invites to the new BYS Regional Training Groups – a series of class-specific junior training groups aimed at reinvigorating regional and club racing in England.
However, due to the limitations of the regattas, other factors such as results from secondary indicator events and demonstration of BYS values and behaviours will also be considered. More information about Regional Training Groups can be found here.
Crucially, in order to be considered for an invite to your RTG, you must apply online here.
“The Regional Junior Championships will also mark the start of the new era for British Youth Sailing focusing on establishing Regional Training Groups to boost regional racing across England,” Atherton added. “If you want to be considered for a Regional Training Group, please make sure you apply online.”
To enter the Regional Junior Championships, follow these links:
Dinghy:
London & SE - Saturday 26th Sept - Topper and Feva are FULL
Windsurf: