OnBoard youngsters enjoy Cowes Week experience
Sussex OnBoard sailors compete with SYC Youth Team
Five OnBoard youngsters from schools in Sussex experienced a taste of sailing alongside the best in the country, when they were given a chance to compete in Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (11-18 August).
The young sailors, aged 15 to 18, were selected by Sussex Yacht Club (SYC) at Shoreham, West Sussex to go to Cowes to compete in the Sonar class, a 3-person 23ft keelboat, as part of the SYC Youth Team.
The team have been training for 18 months in Sonars on their home waters in preparation for Cowes Week, so when it finally came about they were fully prepared for their encounter with eight days of strong breezes, racing against teams from the UK and US.
A consistent performance through the week posted them a great overall result – 3rd place in the Sonar Class and 3rd placed crew Under 25s across the whole regatta!
The team members were Alex Gooch (18), Millie Webb (15), Olivia Cleary (15) and Hayley Weir (17), all from Steyning Grammar and George Hinchcliffe (16) from St Andrews.
All are active SYC members. The five were introduced to the sport through the Royal Yachting Association’s OnBoard scheme which give youngsters the opportunity to experience sailing through schools, youth groups, clubs and training centres.
“We heard about the OnBoard scheme when Joe Sampson, an instructor at Sussex Yacht Club and 6th former at our school, came in and gave a talk about sailing, during an assembly. I started sailing with the OnBoard club in 2010” explained Millie Webb.
“After this I signed up to further courses within SYC and carried on. The winter training was fun as we sailed Bahias and then moved onto Sonars”.
Millie added “I enjoy being on the water and sailing with the friendly instructors. Cowes Week was awesome fun. It was a great opportunity to experience competitive racing and mix with others who enjoy and share your passion for sailing’’.
Kevin Headon, Training Principle at SYC commented: “The young people starting through the RYA OnBoard programme and our links with Steyning Grammar quickly became part of the club. The commitment needed to prepare to race at Cowes against international teams involved training against previous teams and sailing together all year, both at SYC and Cowes.
"The team also give back to the club, helping with OnBoard club days, which they themselves started off with just a few years ago. They have become a close team and are willing to help with all activities of the club. We are very proud of what they have achieved and will be back in 2013!”
Sam Rowe, the OnBoard Development Officer for the region, said “It is really fantastic to see that these young sailors have progressed to a level that they can take on Cowes Week as a team by themselves. It is really inspiring to see them succeed on a competitive level that is a bit different from the normal RYA racing pathway for young sailors. A big thank you must be said to Kevin Headon, Dorian Woolger and all of the others at SYC who volunteer their time to make these opportunites happen for the youngsters.”
Over a ten year period OnBoard aims to introduce a minimum of 500,000 children to sailing and windsurfing in the UK, converting over 10% of them into regular participants. So far it’s nicely on track.
For more information about how to get involved in sailing visit the RYA’s website www.rya.org.uk or the OnBoard website www.ruob.co.uk