Pwllheli to host prestigious Optimist Europeans 2015
by Karenza Morton 30 Jul 2014 10:54 BST
18-26 July 2015
Local sailors Christopher Jones (centre) and Hatty Morsley (right) get ready to race © Alan Dop Photography /
www.alandop.com/sailing
Pwllheli will welcome the Olympic sailing stars of the future when it hosts the prestigious Optimist European Championship 2015 next July.
Around 250 of the World's top young sailors from over 45 countries will travel to North Wales for what is always one of the most fiercely contested events on the international junior racing calendar.
The Optimist class is widely regarded as the breeding ground for future international sailing success with four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie and Wales' own London 2012 470 class silver medalist, Hannah Mills, both Optimist graduates. In fact over 90% of sailors at London 2012 raced Optimists as juniors.
Pwllheli will stage the Optimist European Championship from 18-26 July 2015, and last week 64 youngsters from 11 nations, from as far afield as India, Hong Kong and Bermuda, put the venue to the test at the 2014 Optimist International Clinic (22-25 July) and Pwllheli International Optimist Regatta (26-27 July).
Bob Lowe, Chairman of the Events Committee in Pwllheli said: "We're very much looking forward to hosting the Optimists in Pwllheli. Pwllheli is a special place where you are guaranteed a warm welcome. With the fabulous sailing waters of Cardigan Bay and a beautiful backdrop of the Snowdonia National Park everyone will have a memorable championships on and off the water."
Welsh sailors came out on top at the weekend's regatta with Cardiff Bay YC's William Hall taking victory ahead of Malta's Victoria Schultheis. Hatty Morsley (Portdinorwic) and Christopher Jones (Pwllheli) claimed third and fourth spots respectively. Both Hatty and William, along with Rhys Lewis, are part of the five-strong Great Britain team for the Optimist World Championships in Argentina this August.
Tim Hall, Optimist Europeans Championship 2015 Event Director, said: "With good conditions both days, sailors got to sample the excellent sailing at Pwllheli and will have gained some useful knowledge ready to return for the European Championship. All the feedback has been positive and the event team will be working hard over the next year to ensure an amazing European Championships in July 2015."
Amongst a raft of top international coaches involved in the Clinic, sailors were able to benefit from the experience and knowledge of Plas Menai-based GBR National and Welsh National Optimist coach, Alan Williams, who helped hone the fledgling young talents of Hannah Mills plus fellow British Sailing Team members Dave Evans and Chris Grube. Alan ran the Clinic with Greek National Optimist Coach, Vagelis Atzemian.
Alan said: "The Optimist is the first step on the sailing ladder for a lot of young sailors around the world. Because it is sailed in nearly every country, the sailing is very competitive. The boat is very stable and easy to learn to sail, but challenging to get the best out of. Sailors worked on their light wind boat handling, speed, starting tactics and strategy and also had to work hard on their concentration skills."
Hatty Morsley, 14, said: "Pwllheli is the best place to sail in Britain and it's good more people get to know what a great place it is. The beach is fab and the waves can be great!"
Christopher Jones, 13, said: "Pwllheli is my local club and I love sailing here. Having the Europeans at Pwllheli is brilliant, it means the great sailing will become even better known and it's fantastic to have young people from all over the world here."
Bermudan Campbell Patton, 13, added: "Last week was great with Bermuda like weather! This is a lovely area to sail. The whole week was brilliant, I've learnt a lot."
Pwllheli is the gateway to some of the best sailing waters in the UK, with Cardigan Bay offering weak tidal streams and stable winds against the stunning backdrop of Snowdonia and the rugged north Wales coastline. Pwllheli has hosted many events for some of the biggest international racing classes, catering for more than 6,000 competitors. Each winter sees more than 1,500 squad sailors training at the venue.
There is a range of opportunities to sponsor and support the Optimist European Championship 2015. To discuss potential sponsorship options and benefits contact
The Optimist European Championship 2014 was held in Dublin this month, with Enzo Balanger (FRA) claiming the boys' title and Ebru Bolat (ROU) the girls' title.
For more information, including full results from the 2014 Pwllheli International Optimist Regatta, visit www.optimisteuros2015.com, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/optimisteuros2015 or follow us on Twitter @optimisteuros15