Roseland waveriders make it neck and neck in windsurfing championship 

Round two of the South West Team15 Inter-Club Championship

A youth windsurfing team from St Mawes, the Roseland Wave Riders, evened the score when they beat arch rivals the Siblyback Water Warriors in the second RYA Team15 south west event of the season at Roseland Paddle and Sail on Sunday (10 June).  

Conditions were testing, with rain and very little wind, when 30 youngsters competed in this series for windsurfers up to the age of 15. The Wave Riders and the Water Warriors (who won the first leg of the series in May) were joined by the Polkerris Pirates to battle the elements in search of triumph.

In the 3.5m class, Roseland’s Lowenna Penny (12) came first, with team-mate Scarlett Croft (12) finishing neck-and-neck with the Pirates’ Jeremy Whale in second place.

Jake Penprase (13) from Polkerris and Lauren Brown (13) from Roseland received merit awards – Jake for completing all of his races on the big course, and Lauren for trying racing for the first time.  

Of the 4.5m class, competition organiser Marianne Bryan said: “Charlie Hickman (12) and Joe Parrot (12) from Siblyback and Adam Phipps (12) from Polkerris all keep dominating this class. Although in the testing conditions Roseland’s Cameron Thomson (12) had a great start in the third race, he was caught out with a decrease in wind and a small shift when coming round the bottom mark, allowing the others to overtake him despite his massive two-leg lead.”

Joe eventually took first place, followed closely by Adam. Cameron was third.  

Siblyback dominated the 5.8m class, with Jacob Henning (15) in first place and Ross Morris (13) in second. Roseland’s Paul Carbis (14) was third. However, in the Techno 6.8 class, Roseland had a clean sweep, with Ross Warren (12), Lucy Grayston (13) and Joshua Croft (15) fighting for the top three places.  

Roseland’s Croft family are clearly ones to watch – not only did Scarlett and Joshua win podium spots, but brother Oli (9) is determined to catch up in the 3.8m class – he placed 7th.  

Awards to the highest-placing sailors using Techno boards were to Eddie Sioufi (11) from Polkerris, who was fifth in the 3.5m class, and team-mate Jowan Sleep (13) who took fourth place in the 4.5m class.   The next event in the series will take place at Roadford Lake on Saturday 21 July which happens to be RYA Push the Boat Out Day. 

Supported by industry leaders Tushingham/Starboard and Neil Pryde, T15 was set up by the RYA to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grass roots level.  

Fun and informal training sessions take place at T15 clubs all over the country for kids up to the age of 15, which are run weekly by specialist RYA coaches.  

The T15 inter-club championship takes place regionally over the summer adding a competitive edge and race training for those keen to hone their skills.  

Kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low.  

To get involved with Team15 and locate your nearest local club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400.