Derbyshire Youth Sailing at Combs Sailing Club

Derbyshire Youth Sailing at Combs © John Saunders

There has been some really close racing in the second event of the Derbyshire Youth Sailing Series held at Combs Sailing Club. The varying conditions really gave the sailors a tough workout with decreasing winds through the three races on the day. Graduate sailors Bryn Abendstern and Annabel Coppinger from Toddbrook Sailing Club came out on top, but only just.

Twenty one sailors in nineteen boats were greeted with quite brisk winds as they arrived and these continued for the first race before lunch. The wind strength gave the Laser sailors the edge as they could plane more than the Graduate and as the Portsmouth Yardstick for the Laser Radial and the Graduate are only one different the on-the-water positions between these boats are very close to the corrected results.

In race one, the two Laser Radials of Eleanor Craig from Staunton Harold SC and Josh Haynes from Trent Valley SC, took first and second ahead of the Graduate of Bryn and Annabel, while the Laser Standards were tested with being slightly overpowered in the conditions. After lunch, the wind had eased a little and both the Graduate and the Laser Standards faired a little better in race two with Bryn and Annabel taking the win ahead of Toby Woodings from Carsington SC in his Laser Standard. Third place went to Eleanor who had an excellent event.

With the afternoon races back to back there was no time wasted in getting the final race of the day underway in the softening breeze. Once more the Graduates had the pace and Bryn and Annabel came in first ahead of Harry Coppinger and his crew Henry in another Graduate, closely followed by Toby in third. With all results in, the overall winners prize went to Bryn and Annabel with Eleanor taking second place and Toby Woodings third. The points scores totals for the top five boats were 2,4,5,6 and 7.

The Seniors (yr 10 and above) winner was Bryn and Annabel with Eleanor second and Josh third. In the Intermediates (yrs 7 to 9) the winner was Emma Robertson from Swarkestone Sailing Club in her Topper followed by Josh Appleton from Carsington Sailing Club in second and Rosie Reid was third, also sailing a Topper from Combs Sailing Club and sailing in her first DYS Event. In the Juniors (up to and including yr 6) Kate Robertson was awarded 1st place for the second event in a row. Scarlett Cameron from Combs Sailing Club made her DYS debut sailing a Topper and the most improved sailor prize went to Jake Parkin of Glossop Sailing Club also sailing a Topper.

Derbyshire Youth Sailing at Combs - photo © John Saunders

DYS Representative for Combs Sailing Club, Matthew Caunt noted, "It was a day of tussles between very strong sailors. The varied conditions as the wind gradually died down during the day, meant that the Radials had the edge in the first race but in the second race the Lasers could still plane, but the Radials not so much and finally in the third race, the Graduates really came into their own as a narrow boat with a proper point on the front!"

Derbyshire Youth Sailing events provide a great, fun opportunity for youth sailors from any of the ten sailing clubs in Derbyshire to compete together and learn from each other to take their racing sailing onto the next stages. Novice youth racers aged from 6 to 18 are welcome to come along and give it a go. Supportive coaching can be provided to those sailors at the back of the fleet to help keep them in reach of the rest and allow them to develop their skills. In time, the novices soon gain experience and will one day be challenging the front runners.

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