VICTORY FOR YOUNG LYMINGTON SAILOR AT SOUTHWEST ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS 

William Heathcote, aged 12, beat off 48 other young competitors to win his class in the RYA South and Southwest Zone Championships.

William Heathcote, aged 12, beat off 48 other young competitors to win his class in the RYA South and Southwest Zone Championships, held at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy at the weekend (26 and 27 September).

William, who is a member of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, and lives in Lymington, was competing amongst some 245 sailors at the event, which was one of several regional Zone Championships held throughout the UK. 

He was sailing in the Optimist class, taking an impressive four firsts and a second, amongst the seven races.  William said of his win: “I love sailing in Weymouth and it felt great to win such a big event. It has given me more hope and confidence for 2016!”

On Saturday the Topper and Optimist regatta fleet had a morning and afternoon session at WPNSA which included coaching and briefings from Kat Colvin. Sunday’s racing, meanwhile was interrupted by a large ship early on with race management shifting the courses around it. It was a windier day than Saturday, which had enjoyed 8-10 knots, with sailors launching in 15 knots but they worked well in the challenging conditions.  

High Performance Manager Chris Atherton explained: “We were expecting some retirees from the Sunday races, however the sailors coped really well and we were impressed by the high standard of sailing.”  He added “The race management did an excellent job, the racing was very slick and we finished in good time.” Chris Taylor and Sam Batten, 49er British Sailing Team Podium Potential sailors took part in a Questions and Answer session prior to the prize-giving. Batten talked through his pathway and how much he enjoyed Zone Squads.

Over 1,025 young sailors took to the water up and down the United Kingdom over the weekend, in the hunt for glory at the RYA Zone and Home Country Championships which gave all the youngsters the chance to experience big regatta racing without having to travel far from their home sailing clubs. For some, the sailors will have improved their racing skills and overall ability after venturing out onto the competitive circuit for the first time.  

The Championships traditionally mark the end of the Junior racing season and are a key event for any young sailor wishing to be selected for the RYA Zone and Home Country squads, which are the first step on the pathway to Olympic Classes sailing. 

The RYA thanked all the volunteers for their help over the weekend at the various locations. These kind of events would not be possible without the parents and helpers handing their support. To qualify for a Zone Squad place each sailor needs to compete at a number of selection events, for full details on selection please see the RYA Squad pages here. For application forms and closing dates find them on the website here.

You can see results on the event website here and follow the British Youth Sailing Team on Facebook and @RYAYouthRacing on Twitter.