Youngsters back on track

Volvo Musto Optimist nationals gets some racing in

Both the senior and junior fleets completed three races at day five of the Volvo Musto Optimist National Championship 2004, in a north easterly force two breeze.

A fourth race was planned, but due to a large wind shift to the south west and the latest of the day, the race wasn’t started.

The junior fleet have now completed six races and the senior fleet five, therefore the first discard has kicked in, and the championship series has been constituted for both fleets.

In the senior fleet, twin brothers Ben & Tim Saxton, 14 from Grafham Water are dominating at the front of the fleet, Ben won both race three and five and was third in race four, which take’s him to the top of the leader board going into the final day of racing. Twin brother, Tim, finished behind Ben in second place in race three and five and at the moment is discarding a 90th place in race four, but this is subject to claim for redress.

Sophie Weguelin, 14 from Royal Lymington Sailing Club, is first girl and is second overall with eleven points and is twenty eight points clear of her nearest rival Francis Peters, 14 Hayling Island.

In the 128 strong junior fleet, Mark Lees, 12 from Poole Yacht Club continues to lead at the front of the fleet with 18 points, in second place is Irish sailor Jack Costigan, 12 from Royal Cork Yacht Club with 35 points. First girl and first Scot is Anna Burnet, 12 from Royal Northern and Clyde who is in 13th place overall with 98 points.

As well as the Senior and Junior sailors, there are sixty young regatta sailors, aged between seven and twelve years old, who are being taught the basics of sailing and racing. Today these young sailors completed two races today off the Isle of Cumbrae, James Parker-Mowbray, aged nine from Bowmoor Sailing club is currently leading the fleet with four points.

Mike Golding, recent winner of the singlehanded Transat and Defi Atlantique races on Ecover and one of the pre race favorite’s to win this year's Vendee Globe, will be present at the championships tomorrow, to watch the racing and present the prize giving ceremony

The Volvo and Musto sponsorship of the Optimist class includes the National, Inland and End of Season Championships as well as the GB Optimist World and European Championship teams