RYA Youth Nationals at Pwllheli Sailing Club - Overall
by Karenza Morton, RYA 4 Apr 2008 21:03 BST
29 March - 4 April 2008
Godwin rules the waves as 2008 RYA Youth Nationals come to close
Stuart Godwin produced an awesome display of nerve and guile as he overcame a one-point deficit going into the last race of the final day to successfully defend his Laser crown at the 2008 RYA Youth National Championships and Trials.
Godwin had led the hotly-anticipated class battle from day one but agonisingly lost his grip on his title on the penultimate day of racing at Pwllheli Sailing Club as Oli Tweddell took advantage of Godwin’s discarded race eight eighth to snatch the overall lead.
With just two points between the boys as the flags were raised this morning, Godwin, from Hammersmith, eked the deficit back to a single point with a dramatic race nine victory.
And when it came to the crunch it was the 17-year-old defending champion who rose to the occasion producing another stunning performance to win the race and subsequently his second successive Championship.
James Peters (Hayling Island) and Ed Fitzgerald (Chichester) have produced almost a flawless week’s racing to claim both the 2008 RYA Youth Nationals overall and boys’ 29er crowns.
The duo won six of the 10 races in the series to romp to overall glory by eight points from James’ elder sister Frances and Claire Lasko (Thame, Oxon). However in claiming overall silver, Peters and Lasko are 2008 29er girls’ champions, Frances successfully reclaiming the title she won at Hayling Island in 2007.
At Hayling last year Ben Saxton (Baldock) was winning a boy’s 29er bronze while David de Boltz (Danbury) was sailing a single-handed Radial.
But since teaming up in the 420 last summer the pair have gone from strength to strength and landed the overall RYA Youth Nationals prize with an impressive display at Pwllheli.
Leading from day one, Saxton, 17, and 18-year-old de Boltz were made to work for their title on the final day however as a win for Owain Matthews and Tim Saxton, and a discarded eighth for the eventual winners saw them edge the gold by just a point.
Imogen Stanley (Stanton St John, Oxon) and Kate Macgregor (Poole) were never in danger of seeing their 420 girls title float away on the North Wales waves as they secured their second successive Championship with a massive 68-point advantage.
The battle for RS:X supremacy between Jacob Brubert (Stockwell, London) Ali Masters (Clevedon) also went to the last day wire. The boys swapped firsts and seconds all week but despite a repetition of that pattern in the last two races of the Championship, it was Brubert, who celebrates his 18th birthday tomorrow, who narrowly edged victory by a single point.
Izzy Hamilton (Holsworthy, Devon) hugely impressed on her RYA Youth Nationals debut, the 15-year-old finishing third overall to take the girls’ RS:X title.
On a day of one-point deficits, 16-year-old Adam Butler (Christchurch) and Gilbert Sutcliffe (Marlborough), 14, also claimed the SL16 title by the same margin from James Ellis and Andrew Glover.
Meanwhile a final day seventh was enough to clinch debut RYA Youth Nationals Radial overall and boys’ glory for 15-year-old James Grant (Falmouth). Sophie McKeeman (Kempsford, Glos) took the girls’ title and finished seventh overall.
McKeeman and Izzy Hamilton also had double cause for celebration after discovering they have been selected for the Musto Academy for 2008.
The girls, plus Martin Evans who won Laser Radial Youth class silver in New Zealand last week, will receive of a range of technical and casual sailing clothing from Musto for next 12 months as part of their initiative to recognise and support emerging talent in the RYA Youth and Junior programmes.
After a difficult first half of the week, where wind conditions resulted in postponed starts, almost a day of lost racing and late finishes, Thursday and Friday saw the sailors start on schedule and race officers dedicated to getting as many races as possible completed.
Simon Wergan, RYA Youth Manager, said: “It has been a testing week at times but everyone has been patient and the standard of racing across the classes has been fantastic and as expected, extremely close in many cases. It is great credit to the race officials and event organisers that things have gone as well as they have.
“Although this event has acted as the selection trial for the ISAF Youth Worlds, the Championships have not been all about the Youth Worlds. There are many talented sailors who have performed here at Pwllheli and we plan to work very closely with them in the next few months to develop their medal-winning potential for the various forthcoming class European and World championships.”
2008 RYA Youth National Championships and Trials main results:
Laser Standard:
1st Laser Standard (Royal Bank Trophy) – Stuart Godwin
Laser Radial:
1st Laser Radial Overall (Crewsaver Trophy) – James Grant
1st Laser Radial boy (Eric Twiname Coconut Cup) – James Grant
1st Laser Radial girl (Eric Twiname Trophy) – Sophie McKeeman
420:
1st 420 girls (Eric Twiname Trophy) – Imogen Stanley / Kate Macgregor
1st 420 boys (Royal Bank Trophy/Armarda Plate) – Ben Saxton / David de Boltz
29er:
1st 29er overall (Harmony Trophy) – James Peters / Ed Fitzgerald
1st 29er boys (Edwards Trophy) - James Peters / Ed Fitzgerald
1st 29er girls (Ovington Trophy – Frances Peters / Claire Lasko
SL16:
1st SL16 (Hobie Europe/Wildwind Trophy) – Adam Butler / Gilbert Sutcliffe
RS:X
1st Windsurfing Boy Trophy – Jacob Brubert
1st Windsurfing Girl Trophy – Izzy Hamilton
2008 Musto Academy Youth sailors:
Izzy Hamilton
Sophie McKeeman
Martin Evans (not at event)
For full results and list of winners visit www.ryaracingevents.org.uk