SpeedSix RS Aero UK Youth Nationals at Burghfield Sailing Club - Preview
by RS Aero Class Association 10 Aug 2017 12:04 BST
12-13 August 2017
RS Aeros at Burghfield © Peter Barton
The first ever SpeedSix RS Aero UK Youth National Championship is only a few days away. With 30 competitors it is set to be an awesome event! The RS Aero UK Class association would like to thank SpeedSix for being the title sponsor for this event and providing us with some fantastic prizes for the daily prize giving and the overall prize giving on the final day!
The fleet is looking like one of the most competitive yet! Andrew Frost is one of the favourites at this event as the current RS Aero 5 Rig World Champion, Liam Willis & Greg Barlett also could be in the running with their podium finishes at the Rooster RS Aero World Championships. Noah Rees who was 1st U19 in the 7 Fleet at the Worlds is also a favourite, Yannick Gloster (USA) put up a go fight against Noah at the RS Aero Worlds but will Yannick's lack of lake experience let him down?
Ben Rolfe from Burghfield may however have the upper hand with local knowledge and a good performance at the RS Aero World Championships finishing 4th in the RS Aero 7 fleet. We do however, we have a few sailors who are racing in unknown territory; Edward Higson and Ben Flower who are top singlehanded sailors they are very fast in the Laser but will they be able to transfer their skills into the RS Aero; Sam Whaley is also another one to watch being a British Sailing Team singlehanded sailor, however has little RS Aero experience will he be in the running for the title?
As for the Girls, there are 5 entered and again a mix of current and unknown RS Aero sailors, Melissa Meredith a very good Laser Radial Sailor could be in the running for taking the title from the boys. Lucy Greenwood, Alice Lucy and Josie Meredith will be very competitive in the light to medium winds and will benefit from Burghfield's flat water against the big RS Aero 9 rig boys.
The current outlook is for 10-15 knots on Saturday and 5 knots on Sunday, with these mixed conditions benefitting the 7 & 5 rigs on day one but the 9 rigs on day two, with the PY format racing will be very interesting. The RS Aero UK Youth Nationals is only a few days away, who will raise the trophy?