ILCA 6 UK Nationals at the WPNSA - Runners & Riders
by Hannah Snellgrove 11 Aug 2021 19:07 BST
14-18 August 2021
Startline action from the 2020 ILCA 6 UK Nationals © Georgie Altham /
www.facebook.com/galthamphotography
With the 2021 ILCA Nationals at WPNSA almost here and with just under 260 entries, we can look forward the biggest National championship to be held in the UK for some time.
Before we look at who is likely to leading the fleet we must thank the army of volunteers that have stepped forward to make this event possible - more than 100! It couldn't happen without you - we still need help so give us a call if you'd like to be involved.
The various sectors of the ILCA6 class will be coming together to fight it out for the coveted National Champion title. The depth of the fleet is clear in the staggering number of entries - with over 120 sailors the ILCA6 fleet due to take to the waters of Weymouth and Portland to battle it out over the five-day regatta.
Flying the flag for the women and the British Sailing Team will be former youth world medallist Daisy Collingridge, fresh from a training block recce in Marseilles - the Paris 2024 Olympic venue. You certainly wouldn't bet against her in a Weymouth sea breeze hike off. Joining her will be teammates and RYA Transition Project sailors Anya Haji-Michael and Molly Sacker - both light wind speed demons. Between the three of them they certainly have the bases covered for speed in the range of conditions.
Our freshest international medallist Sebastian Kempe will be looking to follow up on his awesome bronze at the recent ILCA 6 Youth Worlds in Italy with a strong showing at the Nationals. Other GBR representatives from the worlds who will be looking to use the racing experience to their advantage include Freddie Howarth, Josh Morgan, Oliver Allen-Wilcox, Henry Koe, Terry Hacker, and Josh Lyttle.
Looking to upset the apple cart again will be fellow youth sailor Tom Mitchell, who won the recent 50th anniversary regatta at Stokes Bay by sailing an impressively consistent weekend series in tricky, tidal and shifty conditions.
Runner up at Stokes Bay was local sailor Ben Elvin. Never rule out experience over exuberance - he may be an apprentice master these days but he is a stalwart among the top three of national regattas and as one of the physically fitter athletes will be looking for any opportunity to get his bow down and roll over the entire fleet - fondly known as the long roll/baguette. Watch out folks.
We cannot mention masters sailors without giving a shout out to Jon Emmett. Not only has Jon won the National Champion crown more times than anyone can actually remember, he is a former Apprentice Master World Champion and Olympic Champion coach, and has just returned from Tokyo having coached Finnish sailor Tuula Tenkanen to a highly creditable 5th place Olympic result. He will certainly be well versed in the most up to date techniques and tricks of the very best sailors in the world. One to watch for sure.
Last and by no means least, let's not forget our very own UKLA Chairman - the fiercely competitive Rob Cage - who will also be looking to show the youngsters the way around the race course!
The event is being supported by our great sponsors:
Sailingfast - Duncan brings his battle buss down from Scotland for most the big events, which is so ridiculously well equipped, you could replace everything on your boat. Although based in Scotland they will get anything to you super fast. He also supplied many of the prizes for the draw on Saturday evening. sailingfast.co.uk
SouthEast Sailboats - Max brings bespoke quality at affordable prices to the class. His passion for detail has made his products a must have for anyone who wants quality. He also supplied many great prizes for the event. southeastsailboats.co.uk
Ovington Boats - Chris Turner lives dinghies and has been a significance presence in the boat building world for decades. OB are now the official UK builders of ILCAs. A very smart new Ovington ILCA Dinghy was on display at the Masters event. www.ovingtonboats.com
Vaikobi - a brand born on the waters of Sydney Harbour, out of a passion for all ocean sports. Across the team, we paddle, Surfski, SUP, Wing Foil and Sail. Sailing has been a passion within the business right from the start. The senior management team at Vaikobi comprise more than fifty years of marine industry and sailing experience between them. www.vaikobi.com
Noble Marine - Ian MacManus (the man behind the name) has crafted a very competitive and excellent insurance product for all Laser/ILCA sailors. A very personal service and a extremely useful website help make this the 'go to' company. www.noblemarine.co.uk
Fernhurst Books - Jeremy Atkins has put together an incredible list of the most useful dinghy racing books. If you have books on racing you've probably got at least one Fernhurst book. fernhurstbooks.com
Follow the action on the UKLA Facebook page, www.facebook.com/UKLAILCA