West Yorkshire firefighters triumph in yacht races

Jun 16 2009 By Neil Atkinson

West Yorkshire Four, skippered by Station Manager Paul McCartney, of Wakefield Fire Safety, took the first prize in the white sail only class, while West Yorkshire Three, skippered by Robin Moore of Bingley, took the trophy for Best in Class on the second day of racing.

Darren Bagley, of Stocksmoor, was the delighted West Yorkshire team skipper.

Darren, a Leeds Crew Manager, said: "We are extremely proud to have done so well, particularly as most of the teams were from brigades who are near the sea and who sail regularly in these waters.

"We are also proud to have taken this as an opportunity to raise money for Yorkshire Cancer Research and we look forward to announcing how much we raised soon."

The UK Firefighters’ Sailing Challenge 2009 involved nine races over three days. West Yorkshire entered five crews of eight.

The trophies were presented by Mike Golding OBE, Britain’s most successful solo offshore sailor.