Are you the next Ben Ainslie?

Youth sailors to descend upon Pwllheli in April

Over 250 budding sailors are expected to descend upon Cardigan Bay in North Wales for the 2004 RYA Youth Championships and Trials in a bid to be the next Ben Ainslie.

From the 10-16 April young sailors will be competing in five separate classes all of which are regarded as youth boats to the Olympic classes. From the 29er, Laser Radial, 420, Hobie 16 and Mistral, national champions will be found and the RYA National Youth Squad will be chosen. For the 420, Hobie 16 and Mistral a greater prize is at stake.

With a team of selectors on board, a British team for the Volvo ISAF (International Sailing Federation) Youth World Championships will be selected at Pwllheli. The international event, which is regarded as the Olympics of youth sailing and this year held in Gydnia, Poland, has in the past included Olympic gold medallist’s Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, Olympic silver medallist and Britain’s America's Cup skipper, Ian Walker and a host of other famous sailors.

With so much riding on this event for the competitors the selectors will have a difficult job picking who they feel are the most capable of bringing back gold medals from Poland. However ex-Olympian, David Campbell-James, top British windsurfer, Dom Tidey and past gold medallist of the ISAF Youth World Championships, Stuart Childerley all have the experience and knowledge to do just that.

Absent from the RYA Youth Championships is the Laser Standard, the same class in which Ben Ainslie won Olympic gold in. During the same week the RYA UK Olympic Trials Regatta for the Laser is taking place and the youth sailors have a golden opportunity to pit their skills against some of the worlds best. This event will incorporate the RYA UK selection trials for the 2004 ISAF Youth World Championships. Similarly, the Laser Radial will use their UK travelling series as selection for Poland as many of the sailors are currently competing at the World Championships in Brisbane.

The event is open to all young British sailors who are under the age of 19 on 31 December (or 21 if you sail a Hobie 16) and the calibre of sailors will range from established junior and youth world champions to newcomers who have progressed through the junior classes such as the Optimist, Cadet and Mirror.

Whatever sailors are racing for, whether it is the top spot on the podium, a place in the British squad or simply to enjoy competitive sailing, the week promises to be action packed both ashore and afloat.

RYA Racing Manager, John Derbyshire is especially looking forward to the week: “The standard of British youth sailing continues to rise and those sailors who are selected for the ISAF Youth World Championships or the National Squad can be certain they will have earned their place. It promises to be a superb weeks sailing with sailors from all parts of the UK taking part.”

Runners and Riders

Racing is expected to be extremely close, with any number of sailors capable of winning the event. Here are just a few, based on previous performances, to watch out for.

420

In the boys fleet Luke Patience from Rhu in Helensburgh crewed by Adam Wagner have already impressed the RYA so much that they are now members of the RYA Olympic Transitional Squad while still being able to qualify as youth sailors. Beginning the year with a top twenty result at the world championships in Melbourne, the pair are continuing to improve dramatically. Both Luke and Adam were short listed for the Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year Award in 2003.

Also short listed was close friend and rival, Stuart Bithell from Rochdale sailing with Jonathan McGovern also near Rochdale. As runners up last year they are hoping to go one better and reserve their ticket for Poland.

In the girls fleet Pippa Wilson from Lymington and Harriette Trumble from Stonehaven finished 6th last year and are looking for a podium place this year. However, Lucy Macgregor with new crew Nissy Booth both from Poole, are not to be ruled out after finishing second at the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

29er

Although this year it is not an ISAF Youth Worlds class it will take nothing away from the competition. Tristian Jaques and Alain Sign from Hayling Island and Lee-on-Solent, who are national champions and were 3rd last year, will be feeling confident. However Ben Burns, from Nottingham and Guy Fillmore from Warwick are still a threat after finishing 10th at the World Championships in Spain.

Hobie 16

This is a relatively new class to the ISAF Youth World Championships but has quickly been mastered by Tom Phipps and Jonathan Cook who were also short listed for RYA Raymarine Young Sailor of the Year 2003. Both Tom and Jonathan who are from Restronguet Sailing Club are up against strong competition. Reigning champions, Ben Mansfield and Ben Hinks from Southampton are hoping for a repeat performance.

Mistral

Stephanie Thomson, from near Reading and Peter Bird from just outside Glasgow have experience on their side after both finishing inside the top ten at last years ISAF World Youth Championships in Spain. Paul Sibley from Reading, Richard Potter from Nottingham (who came 2nd last year), Laura Bray from Stoke-on-Trent and Jilly Bromley from North Lincolnshire are all names that could still walk away the championship title.

Laser Radial

Despite sailors not being selected for the ISAF Youth World Championships at Pwllheli competition will still be hot and Collette Blair, from Bewl Valley who just missed out last year finishing second by one point in the RYA Youth Championships is tipped for the top. Racing in Brisbane and also up for selection are Charlotte Dobson from Helensburgh and Kate Williams from Plas Menai.

Laser Standard

Despite not attending the RYA Youth Championships, Nick Thompson from Lymington, Giles Scott from Grafham and Stephen Powell from Hayling Island will all be in Weymouth for the RYA UK Olympic Trials Regatta. At the event a team of selectors will pick who they feel will best represent Great Britain in Poland later in the year.