49er Gold Series

Racing this weekend at Weymouth & Portland sailing academy

The RYA 49er Gold Series kicks off in Weymouth this weekend hosted from the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy. The aim of the event is to provide world class racing in home waters and this concept has attracted not only teams from the UK but also three French teams who will compete over the weekends of the 11/12 and 18/19 October.

With a 4000 Euro prize fund up for grabs that will be distributed out between the top five sailors there is a lot for the 24 teams to play for as well as an added bonus of 400 Euro for the first team under twenty years of age.

Pre-race favourites have to be Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes who have recently returned from the world championships where they finished sixth. Despite the hot competition the RYA 49er Gold Series is also an opportunity for up and coming sailors to improve their skiff sailing. Transitional squad sailors such as Alex Hopson and John Garth and newcomer and 29er worlds bronze medallist Tom Smedley with crew Dan Brown are offered a weeks coaching by the RYA in between the weekends racing.

Eleven races are scheduled for the series, with two discards, and to make things a little more interesting all races on the 19th October will score double points. The second weekend of the RYA 49er Gold Series has been incorporated into the Holt RYA National Ranking Series and Morrison and Rhodes will be hoping to extend their lead of seven points over Ben McGrane and Jonathan Clegg.

RYA Development Squad Manager, Barrie Edgington commented, "This event provides a perfect opportunity for the newer 49er teams to shine and I am sure with some of the more experienced sailors like Stevie Morrison and Andy Rice competing, the sailors will not only learn a lot about these fast and exciting boats but also enjoy some great racing."