Dugdale and Millward crowned RYA Sailability Multiclass champions

Carol Dugdale (2.4mR) and Val Millward (Challenger) were crowned 2014 RYA Sailability Multiclass champions © RYA

Carol Dugdale (2.4mR) and Val Millward (Challenger) were crowned 2014 Multiclass Champions as the final curtain came down on the eighth annual RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta, last weekend.

More than 80 sailors of all abilities, from as far afield as Singapore, took to the water in 65 boats at Britain's largest sailing event for people with disabilities. They competed in six classes: Hansa (formerly Access), Challenger, SKUD 18, 2.4mR, Kinsman and - new for 2014 - the RS Venture.

Racing began on Saturday with each class competing in six races in windy conditions with prizes up for grabs for the winners of each class.

The prestigious Ken Ellis trophy is awarded to the leading boat in the classes with the highest number of competitors. This year it was awarded to joint winners British Sailing Team's Carol Dugdale and former Multiclass champion Val Millward from Rutland Sailability, who finished the event on even points.

Carol said: "It was a really good weekend and I'm delighted to have won the Ken Ellis trophy along with Val. It was quite stressful because overnight I was on the same amount of points as Simon Hill who finished second, but luckily I went on to win both of my races on Sunday."

Val said: "It was a great relief to win again. It was a hugely challenging weekend of sailing in very shifty winds and this year there were even more boats competing. It means a lot as the Sailability Multiclass Regatta is an event that everybody, in all classes wants to win".

Sailability enables people with a disability to experience sailing to sail regularly and the Multiclass Regatta brings together sailors across the whole spectrum of abilities in a range of different boat classes for a festival of competitive Sailability action.

Monique Foster from Frensham Pond was attending the event for the 5th time and finished 1st place in the Hansa 303 single-handed class. She said: "There's no difference between able-bodied and disabled people on the water. You have to be smart and very fast and it gives me such a high. Sailing is an exciting sport and there are so many things to consider that it's impossible to worry about your illness or condition when you're afloat. You don't think about it for one minute".

As well as celebrating the achievements of those who take the top prizes, the regatta is also a fantastic opportunity for less experienced racers to hone their competitive talents and compete alongside more experienced crews including Paralympic hopefuls.

Friday saw London 2012 bronze medallist, Niki Birrell giving valuable coaching hints to the competitors during their training sessions. Niki said: "It's really encouraging to see so many people with disabilities out enjoying the sport and hopefully improving the level of Paralympic sport in the UK.".

The winners:

2.4mR: Carol Dugdale, British Sailing Team
Hansa 2.3: Lindsey Burns, Frensham Pond
Hansa 303 W d/hand: Jovin Tan Wei Qiang and Yap Qian Yin, Singapore Sailability
Hansa 303 W s/hand: Monique Foster, Frensham Pond Sailability
Hansa Liberty: Joe Taylor, Notts County Sailability
Challenger Class: Val Millward, Rutland Sailability
SKUD 18: Alex Hovden, British Sailing Team
RS Venture: Rob Risbridger and James Adair, Rutland Sailability

RYA Sailability Manager Debbie Blachford said; "Once again it's been an excellent weekend and we've welcomed competitors from across the globe including the team who came all the way from Singapore.

"The Multiclass Regatta is a fantastic showcase of the talent and the standard of competition increases every year. It's been great to see the new RS Venture boats that Rutland Sailability helped to consult on during the design phase. A special thank you goes to all the volunteers who work tirelessly to assist with the running of the regatta and helping the sailors on and off the water."

For more information on RYA Sailability visit www.rya.org.uk/Sailability