Northants Youth Series Round 4 at Northampton Sailing Club

Northants Youth Series Round 4 at Northampton © Norman Byrd

Northants Youth Series Round 4 at Northampton © Matthew O'Neill

26 sailors were greeted with warm, bright and breezy conditions at Northampton Sailing club for the penultimate leg of this year's youth series. As ever we were fortunate to be guided by head coach Rachel Heggs. We were delighted to be joined by Hatty Connolly from Shustoke Sailing Club.

The sailors were put through their paces in the morning coaching session. Many sailors took the opportunity to inspect the bottom of their boats, it must have been the hot weather! It was clear to see that there has been a significant improvement in both confidence and sailing ability amongst those taking part. Sore hiking legs were rewarded with a restorative lunch on the sunny club veranda.

After a short race briefing Ian Rhodes, PRO, led the fleet to the starting area. The proximity to the shore made for grandstand viewing. Three back-to-back 30 minutes races were planned with a condensed 3-minute sequence. Ian and his team delivered perfect races on a trapezoid course. The gusty conditions caught a few sailors out with several capsizes and nose dives.

Henry Byrd led the way in the fast fleet scoring 3 first places winning him his first medal in the series. Hatty came second, a fitting reward for the furthest travelled competitor (well done Dad!). Olivia Joyce took third from Olivia and Lilly York, all on equal points.

The slow feet was dominated by optimists. Noah Byrd had a healthy lead in the first race before a spectacular nosedive slowed him up. Tristan Shaw subsequently won the first race from his brother William; Noah won the second. William tried something different in the last race hugging the club shore, his tactics paid dividends and by the end of the race he pipped Noah on the line to take the race and the slow fleet first place.

Keali Rhodes from the home club won the topper fleet with a race to spare. She discarded her second in the final race as Oscar Rowe took the final win of the day. William Mawby-Groom delivered three third places to take third overall.

The first timers were given their medals at the prize-giving along with some special awards. With one final event to come (Cransley Sailing Club 3rd September) there is still a lot to play for. The overall series is being lead by William, followed by Noah and Henry. Tristan and Keali have a DNC to discard which could change things significantly come the final shake down. As well as overall and age prizes the club prize is to be awarded as well as the first-time competitor trophy. This rewards participation over results and is certainly in the spirit of the series. We are grateful to Pinnell and Bax for their ongoing sponsorship of the series.

With several well-known Olympian medal winners on our trophies the series is a great one to be involved in. Sailors of all abilities are welcome from all clubs, not just the 5 host clubs. You can contact us via facebook for more information.

Overall Results: