Boat Presentation Makes It Happy Birthday For Teen Powerboat Champ 

Honda RYA Youth RIB winner Kamila celebrates 14th birthday in style!

It was a very happy birthday for Perton driving ace Kamila Czartolomna as she was presented with the brand new powerboat for South Staffordshire Sailing Club that she won by claiming the national Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship title on Sunday (23 November).

Kamila, who turned 14 last Thursday (20 November), became the first girl in more than 10 years to be crowned a national Honda RYA Youth RIB champion when she clinched 13-16 years age-group victory at the PSP Southampton Boat Show in September.

As well as the honour of being national champion, Kamila won a Highfield 460 RIB with a Honda BF50 engine for South Staffordshire SC, and the Gailey club welcomed guests including Mrs Ann Fisher, The High Sheriff of Staffordshire, and Andrew Norton, RYA Powerboat Project Manager and Event Director, for the boat presentation and birthday cake!

Now in its 13th year, the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship is Britain’s leading programme introducing kids to powerboats and training them to be safe, proficient drivers and excellent boat handlers. 

RIBs are light, manoeuvrable craft and the boats driven in the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship can hit speeds of up to 25mph. The youngsters compete in time trials around sets of marks with the driver with the fastest time over two rounds claiming victory.

This was the third successive year Perton Middle School pupil Kamila had qualified for the national grand final but the first time in the older 13-16 years age-group having previously competed at 8-12 years level. 

Kamila said: “I’m very honoured to have received this prize. I would like to thank my Dad for supporting and encouraging me. But this isn’t only my achievement, it’s for Steve Troke and Robin Harper at South Staffs SC who have put in an unbelievable amount of time and effort into training me over the past three years. 

"It also wouldn’t have been possible without the club’s support and I wish to thank the present and past commodores and all the committee members for supporting this event and making my training and victory possible. 

"I'd also like to thank the RYA and all the sponsors for organising this amazing event and making it possible for people like me to gain new skills and to excel.”

With the emphasis on swift, efficient and safe manoeuvring, the skills the youngsters develop through the Honda RYA Youth RIB programme are a great chance for them to experience the thrill of racing a small powerboat while being invaluable in developing safe, proficient powerboat drivers to support sailing clubs in running activities to get more people out on the water more often.

Martin Warburton, South Staffs SC Commodore, added: "South Staffordshire SC has a core value of aiming to encourage all ages and abilities into sailing. A fundamental part of a sailing club is the provision, skill and safety of operating a powerboat/RIB for on-the-water activity support. 

"Training our youngsters in the use of powerboats has been a long-term aspiration and focus, and one which our dedicated team of junior instructors gladly put their time towards. Many youngsters at the club have greatly enjoyed taking part in the Championship and because of this prize we will be able to continue this. 

"Kamila has worked extremely hard to develop her skills, gradually honing those over the last few years to achieve the outstanding competition performance she did in September. She has also demonstrated how success on the water provides additional confidence that will be with her for the rest of her life.

"Indirect investment in the club in ways such as this ensure we can continue to balance the club expenditure and keep costs to an affordable level, enabling us to encourage more people within our community to take up the sport, and participate in RYA training courses run at the club." 

Kamila wasn’t the only member of the Czartolomna family in action in Southampton in September - her nine-year-old sister Aga made her national final debut too, having only taken her event bow in the 8-12 age-group this summer, and finishing 11th overall.

South Staffs SC was the 2011 RYA Club of The Year awarded to Britain’s best sailing club and the overall winners of the 'Community Sport and Recreation Awards’ for Britain’s best community sports club in 2012. 

For more information about the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship visit www.rya.org.uk/go/hondayouthrib

To find out how you can get involved at South Staffs SC, including the club’s 2015 RYA learn to sail course dates, visit www.southstaffssailingclub.co.uk