Young Plymouth sailors inspired by meeting Transat skippers
by Manya McMahon, RYA 11 May 2016 19:50 BST
27 April 2016
Torpoint Mosquito cadets with Armel Tripon © Torpoint Mosquito Sailing Club
A group of youngsters who learned to sail through the RYA OnBoard scheme at clubs in Plymouth had the opportunity to visit and meet The Transat skippers, and tour the boats, on 27 April.
The Transat bakerly is the oldest and first solo Transatlantic race, first launched in 1960 following the 3,000 mile Plymouth to New York route, and this year, the 14th race returned to that original route, starting in Plymouth on 2 May.
The visit, arranged by Plymouth City Council, involved children from Saltash Sailing Club, Torpoint Mosquito Sailing Club (TMSC) and Plymouth Youth Sailing who met four of the best solo sailors in the world as they prepared for one of the most important and historic events in the professional offshore racing calendar.
The eight young sailors from Saltash were aged between 14 and 16. They first visited the 1973 Pen Duick VI, which gave them a good insight into what the transatlantic race would have been like all that time ago. They were able to have a go at grinding the winches and were given a full tour inside and out.
They then went to see the Class 40 boat V&B, and met skipper Maxime Sorel. The youth sailors were really interested in seeing the difference between a modern day solo racing yacht and a transatlantic boat from the 70s. James Torr, senior instructor at Saltash Sailing Club, said: "One of the biggest eye-openers was the size of the galley in Pen Duick VI, compared with the single stove in the Class 40! The difference in weight of the boats was also amazing. The Saltash Sailing Club cadets took a lot from the visit and the skippers gave them a great insight into what offshore racing is like compared to dinghy sailing."
One group of TMSC cadets also met Maxime Sorel, at 29 the youngest competitor in the race, on his boat, V&B. Unfortunately two days into the race Maxime had a collision so had to drop out.
A second TMSC group met Armel Tripon, a more experienced sailor sailing Black Pepper. Armel showed them that his boat was very sparsely fitted out, for minimal weight and maximum speed. Most of the space in the hull was taken up by his sails; he sleeps on a giant bean bag that he moves around the hull depending on the weather conditions.
Both Maxime and Armel started sailing in Optimists, at age 8 and 10 respectively – another point of inspiration for the youngsters.
A Transat spokesperson said: "The skippers of the V&B -Maxime Sorel, Normandie - Edouard Golbery and Blackpepper - Armel Tripon were delighted to talk with children who are as passionate about sailing as they are."
Run by the RYA, OnBoard is a grass roots programme which introduces sailing and windsurfing to young people aged 8 to 18, through schools, youth groups and training centres.
Over a ten year period OnBoard has introduced more than 500,000 children to sailing and windsurfing in the UK, converting over 10% of them into regular participants.
For more information about how to get involved in sailing visit www.rya.org.uk/go/onboard