RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships Preview

Junior sailors get set

Sailors from across the country will commence battle this weekend (24-25 September) as the 2011 RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships greet the shores of nine venues across the United Kingdom. Sailors from as far as Scotland to the south coast of England will battle it out for Championship honours in what is regarded as one of the pinnacle events on the RYA Junior Racing calendar.

With all nine Zone and Home Country Championship events sponsored by Volvo Car UK, each event provides the country’s most promising young sailors the perfect opportunity to pit their skills against the best of the best in their respective Zone and the chance to demonstrate to the RYA High Performance Managers and coaches that they’ve got what it takes to be selected for the RYA Zone and Home Country squads.

The RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships traditionally mark the end of the Junior racing season and take place across the eight RYA-supported Junior dinghy and windsurfing classes at the six English Zones, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. They are key regattas for any Junior sailor wishing to progress up the RYA Volvo Youth Sailing Programme.

In previous years the Championships have attracted a huge variety of sailors and supporters from clubs across Great Britain. The event provides the young sailors with a great opportunity to experience big regatta racing without having to travel far from their home sailing clubs. This year’s Championships will welcome competitors from current RYA National Junior and Zone Squads, as well as many new club level racers, who will be venturing out on to the competitive circuit for the first time.

In addition to the RYA High Performance Managers, sailors will have the chance to showcase their talents in front of recently selected Skandia Team GBR and Team Volvo for Life 2012 Olympians. 470 sailor Saskia Clark and Elliot 6.0m sailor Lucy Macgregor will be visiting the South Zone, top British RS:X Windsurfer Nick Dempsey will be at the East Zone, Paralympian Helena Lucas will be appearing at the South East Zone, Hannah Mills will be appearing at the West Zone and the South West Zone will welcome Lucy’s fellow Match Racer, Kate Macgregor.

The Skandia Team GBR and Team Volvo for Life sailors will meet the youngsters and chat about their sailing career, from club level to first regional event and how they progressed to elite level.

Skandia Team GBR and Team Volvo for Life sailor, Saskia Clark commented: “ I’m looking forward to getting out on the water on Saturday to watch over 200 top young sailors racing in Weymouth and Portland. The RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships are always a fun event for any young sailor to take part in and a great first competition to compete in.”

Duncan Truswell, RYA Youth Racing Manager, said: “I am very much looking forward to heading up to my home turf and seeing the talented young sailors vying for honours up at the RYA Volvo North Zone Championships at Derwent Reservoir SC.

“Every year, I am always impressed that the competition continues to improve, the boats and windsurfers become better prepared, the boat-handling improves and the sailors get fitter and keener than the previous one. This weekend is the start of a journey which is great fun and will hopefully in due course allow many of the young sailors to represent their country at International events and maybe someday go to the Olympic Games.

Truswell continued: “I only wish I was 20 years younger and I would be out there with them! My thanks and that of the RYA go to the 9 host venues, and the many hundred volunteers that will make the 2011 event a great success and once again we are indebted to our sponsor Volvo Car UK who continue to support our programmes from grass roots level to the very pinnacle of the sport.”

The 2011 RYA Volvo Zone and Home Countries Championships will be staged at the following venues:

• The RYA Volvo South Zone Championships – Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Dorset.
• The RYA Volvo South West Zone Championships – Restronguet Sailing Club, Cornwall.
• The RYA Volvo South East Zone Championships – Bewl Valley Sailing Club, Kent.
• The RYA Volvo East Zone Championships– Grafham Sailing Club, Cambridgeshire.
• The RYA Volvo West Zone Championships– Blithfield Sailing Club, Staffordshire
• The RYA Volvo North Zone Championships – Derwent Reservoir, County Durham
• Volvo Welsh Youth & Junior Championships – Pwllheli Sailing Club, Gwynedd
• RYA Scotland Volvo Youth and Junior Championships – Largs Sailing Club, Largs.
• RYANI Volvo Youth Championships in association with McCready Sailboats – Strangford Lough Yacht Club, Co. Down

For further information regarding the 2011 RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships please visit www.ryaracingevents.org.uk