A Successful 2018 for Hayling Island Sailing Club Youth Sailors
by Nikki Eaves 21 Dec 2018 11:59 GMT
Youth Open Firecracker Series at Hayling Island © HISC
Not to be outdone by the adult membership of Hayling Island Sailing Club, HISC Youth also had a fantastic 2018 (if not better than the adults). The active HISC Youth classes have gone from strength to strength this year, not just with high turnouts for all Sunday Youth Race Series on home turf but out and about on the various circuits.
The HISC Youth RS Tera contingent saw lots of top slots finishes in events held around the country. The Start of Season Championship kicked off the season with Ollie Peters gaining a second place finish at Northampton SC. The Nationals held in Cardiff Bay in June saw Joshua Inglesfield bag the third place slot and Charlie Baker take fifth in the regatta fleet. In the sport fleet Ollie Peters took 5th and Jakey Wood eighth in the pro fleet. This was an incredibly tough, light wind event for our sturdy HISC sailors. The Inland Championships and the Squad Selector in July at Burton Sailing Club saw Ollie Peters in fifth place. The World Championships in August held at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) saw HISC take first slots in both the Pro and Sport categories. Ben Tuttle bagging top slot in the RS Tera Pro and Ollie Peters 1st in the RS Tera Sport Fleet making them World Champions in their fleets for 2018. Gregan Bergmann-Smith came tenth in the Sport Gold Fleet and a further five HISC sailors all came in the top twenty in the Silver fleets.
The HISC RS Feva fleet collected a myriad of prizes over numerous events this year. The World Championships held in Florida saw Rupert Jameson crewing for Tom Storey narrowly missing out on the overall title but were worthy winners of the overall boy's title. Annie Hammett and Emma Wells fought back after a rocky first day and claimed the title of Ladies World Champions. Rupert again crewing for Tom in the Europeans produced amazing results and rewarded them with top spot. The European Ladies Championship title win went to Phoebe Peters and Rachel Pyke and in the European Junior Championship Agnes Bracey-Davies and her crew Maya Brown came second.
The Nationals held at WPNSA over the May bank holiday, again saw HISC Youth collecting the silverware. In the gold fleet second helm went to Robbie McDonald and 5th crew to Rupert Jameson. Pro/Am Champions to Patrick and Liam Whelan and National Junior Champions to Kuba Staite and Nick Evans. National Ladies first to Sophie Dennis and Olivia Bracey-Davies and third to Annie Hammett and Emma Wells. Also in the prizes with a special award for sportsmanship where Jack Hawkins and Josh Bowers and HISC won a club prize for the top three scoring boats.
The Inland Championships at Chew Valley saw four HISC boats in the top seven. Rupert Jameson crewing for Frensham Pond SC's Ralph Nevile earnt themselves second place, with Robbie McDonald helming the fourth placed boat. Angus Kilpatrick and Freddie Fisher came sixth with Sophie Dennis and Olivia Bracey-Davis seventh. The final event of the season saw Raulf Berry and crew Ralph Nevile take top spot at the RS Feva Winter Championships at WPNSA at the end of November with Freddie Fisher and Gregan Bergmann-Smith in sixth.
The 29ers have had a great year with the National and Open Championships being held at HISC in early August. Four HISC boats claimed top five slots: second James Hammett and Piers Nicholls, third Freddie Peters and Elliott Wells, fourth Freya Black and Millie Alderidge and fifth Henry Jameson and Toby Atherton. Freya & Millie also claimed the Ladies British National Championship title. Henry and Toby, managed to claim the top spot in the overall 2017/2018 Grand Prix Series visiting HISC, Pwllheli, Royal Torbay, WPNSA, Datchet and Rutland. Things are looking good for the HISC 29er sailors for the 2018/2019 Grand Prix series.
Finley Dickinson was crowned Laser 4.7 Youth European Under 16 Championship in Patra, Greece. The Nationals in Plymouth was also successful for Finley who came third and Keelin Greene came in with a respectable eighth. Finley has now moved up to the Radial rig and came fourth British boy at the Youth Radial Worlds in Kiel and has made it onto the National Squad.
Father and daughter combo, Chris and Daisy Fuller (aged 10) won the 2018 Mirror National Championship held at Ullswater Yacht Club.
HISC Optimists weren't to be outdone. The IOCA (UK) Optimist selection trials saw Kuba Staite finish third, qualifying him for the Worlds Team. We had two sailors - Megan Farrer and Jamie Wilkinson - qualify for the USA National Championships. The End of Season Championships at WPNSA saw Ella Lance with a very respectable sixth place and the Winter Championships at Carsington Sailing Club saw fifth place for Kuba Staite and sixth place for Jamie Wilkinson.
To end their season, the HISC Youth Sailors competed in our very own Youth Open Firecracker Series. Hugo Dobrijevic was first Optimist, Blake Latta and Eliza South first RS Feva, Holly Mitchell first RS Tera Sport and Freddie Jones first in the handicap fleet in his Laser 4.7.
Huge Thank You to Rear Commodore Youth Sarah Mitchell, Youth Committee, Class Captain's and Parents for making 2018 so successful for our Youth. Congratulations to all of our Youth members whether you are World Champions or just starting out. The world is your oyster!