GB youth sailors get set to take on Europe’s best 

RYA Volvo National Youth Squad sailors compete at the EUROSAF Youth Sailing European Championship

RYA Volvo National Youth Squad sailors will look to build on the success of winning the ISAF Youth Worlds’ Nations Trophy a fortnight ago as they begin their battle to take on Europe’s finest sailors at the EUROSAF Youth Sailing European Championship in Aarhus, Denmark today (Monday 06 Aug).  

Amidst all the excitement of the London 2012 Olympics and Team GB sailors winning one gold and one silver medal in Weymouth and Portland yesterday, 20 youth sailors will represent RYA Volvo Team GBR at the Aarhus Yachting Harbour across five days of fierce competition. Last year’s event was the first of its kind and took place at the Yacht Club Acquafresca, Lake Garda.  

The sailors representing RYA Volvo Team GBR have a wealth of experience and expertise on their side after competing at the recent Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships and numerous international regattas.  

Leading the charge for the British squad is the 2012 ISAF Youth Worlds gold medallist, Saskia Sills, who will be looking to dominate the RS:X female fleet like she did in Dublin Bay a fortnight ago. Kieran Martin, Michael Beckett and Ellie Meopham add to the list of ISAF Youth Worlds representatives, while 29er sailors Vikki Payne/Stephanie Orton recently won medals at their class Youth World and European Championships.  

Nearly 150 sailors, across seven Youth classes will compete for what is the first multi-discipline Continental Championship to be held for European sailors, an event that is to become an annual championship for these young sailors. Some 18 European countries are sending their youth sailors to contest for the prestige of being crowned European youth champion.  

Sailors will be competing in the boys and girls’ Laser Radial, 420, RS:X sailboard and the open 29er skiff. The single and double-handed classes will each sail nine races and the sailboard and high performance dinghy twelve races.  

As well as battling for the European titles, sailors will be competing to win the series of new trophies generously donated by some EUROSAF member countries. Amongst these is the prestigious Nations’ Cup - Team Trophy, which will be awarded to the top competing nation, donated by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA).  

Racing begins today (Monday 6th August). The last day of the championship (Friday 10th August) will see an experiment with medal races being held for the first time in a youth championships of this kind.  

RYA Volvo National Youth Squad sailors competing in Aarhus, Denmark:

29ers
Matt Venables/Will Alloway
Vikki Payne/Stephanie Orton  

Laser Radials
Michael Beckett
Andrew Green
Ellie Meopham
Ellie Cumpsty  

RS:X
Kieran Martin
Joe Bennett
Saskia Sills
Noelle Finch  

420
Alistair Gray/Alan McIntosh
Ben Hazeldine/Rhos Hawes
Lucy Yeates/Ellie Devereux
Jemima Lawson/Lily Summers  

For more information on the EUROSAF Youth Sailing European Championship please visit the event website.