Gearing up for the Eric Twiname

RYA Zone and Home Country squads to come to a head at Rutland SC this weekend

It was the North Zone who claimed the bragging rights last year but that slate will be wiped clean with all to play for when the 2009 RYA Eric Twiname Championships take place at Rutland Sailing Club this weekend (9 - 10 May).

Now in their 23rd year, the Championships are the pinnacle of the racing calendar for the RYA Zone and Home Country squads as the nine squad teams go head-to-head over two days for the prestige of picking up the coveted Eric Twiname Shield and being named top RYA Zone.

Some 237 sailors - all members of the RYA Zone/Home Country Squads invited to take part at the Championships by their respective RYA High Performance Managers – in 218 boats are set to compete in the Optimist, Topper and Cadet dinghy classes with the windsurfers racing on Bic Techno boards with 4.5m, 5.5m, 6.8m and 7.8m rigs.

Last year the North Zone proudly walked off with the Eric Twiname Shield, claiming the overall windsurfing crown while also finishing third in the race for the overall dinghy trophy behind the West and East Zones respectively.

Thanks to the long-standing and ongoing support of the Eric Twiname Memorial Trust, the event, for sailors aged between eight and 15, is free to enter with all costs associated with the running of the regatta met by the RYA and the Trust.

The RYA are also delighted that Gill, marine wear designers, are coming on board as official event supporters for this year’s Championships

RYA Youth Racing Manager, Duncan Truswell, said: “The sailors and coaches in the Zone and Home Country squads work so hard over the winter and accordingly the standard of racing at the Championships is always really high, as well as it being a hugely fun event. The experience the young sailors gain from being involved in a multiclass regatta of this size so early in their sailing careers is invaluable in their development.”

The first part of the selection process for the 2009 Laser 4.7 and Mirror National Junior squads will also take place alongside the Championships, with results from Rutland used in conjunction with those from further indicator events later in the season.

Racing is scheduled to start at Rutland at 11.25am on Saturday with a maximum of six races set for the weekend (up to four races on Saturday, and up to three on Sunday). No warning signal will be made after 3pm on Sunday