2011 National & International Events

Henry & Sam win 29er Youth Worlds silver

Written by Giles Lloyd-Williams Tuesday, 18 January 2011 21:26

29er Youth World Championship silver
(Reproduced with kind permission from an RYA report:)

29er Youth Squad pair Henry Lloyd Williams and Sam Batten sealed up a fantastic start to 2011 for the RYA's squad sailors. Lymington Town Sailing Club's 29er National Champions picked up a youth silver medal at the 29er World Championships, which came to a close on Saturday (8, January) in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, kick starting what they hope will be a fruitful year.

Lloyd Williams commented: "It's a real confidence booster for us getting this result - we can definitely put it into our bank of good results we've got. The experience has also given us a lot to work on going forward for the year and hopefully going to the ISAF Youth Worlds again. It's highlighted a load of training points for us we want to work on leading up to that."

He continued: "We had quite a few problems to overcome with our boat when we got here setting it up right but we managed to put out a good performance so we're very happy with how we did."

"We had over 20 knots of wind on five out of the six days too but it was more the swell that gave us the most significant challenge - we had over 10 foot of swell one day and in a 29er that was pretty scary!"

The 60 strong fleet at the event was dominated by senior level competitors however the 18-year-old duo managed to finished the event in a highly respectable 13th place overall.

Batten added: "They don't really sail 49ers out here because the conditions are too extreme so a lot of adults sail 29ers instead. As a result a lot of the people we were up against had been sailing a lot longer than we have so they are all pretty quick and probably more knowledgeable tactically than us. We just focused on what we needed to do and it came together pretty well really."

RYA Youth Racing Manager Duncan Truswell added his congratulations: "We've started this year off with some tough competition and an ambitious programme. The RYA, the class, and the parents have invested a lot of resources to support the teams representing GBR at the Worlds, and we have all been avidly watching the results roll in."

"It's been an exciting start to the year and I am particularly passionate that our teams are learning a lot, having fun and are committed to a future in our fantastic sport. Seeing them coming away with some really great results is a cracking bonus!"

He continued: "The sailors have sacrificed a lot and worked really hard on boat handling, fitness, and communication as well as preparing their equipment and working to deliver against long term plans. It is great to start to see them reap some really impressive results from their hard work."

"This I'm sure will set all our junior and youth squad sailors off with a really positive mind set for the season ahead - I look forward to what the rest of the year brings with it!"

To find out more about the 29er Worlds event click here
<http://www.29erworlds.org/> .