West is best at the RYA Eric Twiname Championship

The final day of competition at the 20th RYA Eric Twiname Championship was a drifter with wind barely skimming the top of the glassy water off the Rutland Sailing Club.  Despite conditions, racing still got underway and after a four race one discard series, the West Zone will go home with the ET Shield after out performing the other RYA Zones and Home Countries.

This morning, (7 May) Junior sailors from around the UK lined the waters edge to pray for breeze, adjust their boats and joke around with their mates.  After attending a championship preparation seminar, hosted by RYA National Mirror Coach Peter Aitken, sailors put their new knowledge into action and by late morning all of the fleets were rigged and out on the water.  Sailing in the 3-5 knot northerly breeze was tricky but each fleet managed to squeeze in two races before the wind subsided and the rain kicked in during the afternoon.

The light winds proved to be testing for many of the sailors as they patiently sailed around the course keeping their eyes open for any breeze that was funnelling in.  While the weather refused to co-operate the competitors remained cheerful, many of the sailors coming off the water with smiles spread across their faces.

The Eric Twiname Shield, awarded to the team with the best overall performance went to the West Zone.  RYA High performance Manager Chris Blackburn commented, “It’s exciting that the West Zone had won the ET Shield.  We saw some great performance from our sailors but also from sailors representing the other RYA Zones and Home Countries.  The West is proud to hold onto the Shield for the next year.”

RYA Junior Racing Manager, Duncan Truswell was positive about the event and was looking towards the future.  “The 20th anniversary of the RYA ET Championship saw tough conditions but we managed to squeeze in four quality races.  The standard of racing continues to rise year on year and I am assured that we will continue to medal internationally in the future.”

David Wilkins, Event Principle Race Officer explained “It was a challenge to organise three courses, over 290 young sailors and to get a large number of volunteers in on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but the event was a success.  It was certainly a great achievement to get four races in for each class and it seems like everyone has had a fantastic time.”

Additional information and results can be found on the event website