IT’S set to be one of the most keenly-contested sports at this summer’s London Olympics.
The sailing classes will see Britons chasing medals in several categories – but at the other end of the sporting scale, there was no shortage of competition when young sailors began their season.
They took to the water at Boshaw Whams reservoir at Hade Edge for the first event in the Yorkshire and Humberside Youth Sailing Series. It was hosted by Huddersfield Sailing Club and was greeted with good conditions.
Nineteen competitors between the ages of 10 to 18 from clubs as far afield as Ripon and East Yorkshire took to the water in the first major junior event of the season.
The handicapping system allows helms of different ages, and sailing different classes of dinghy to compete against each other on equal terms.
Winner was last year’s series champion Max Nicholson of Ulley SC, near Rotherham, in a Laser dinghy, second was Ellie Smith of Beaver SC near Snaith in a Topper, who also won the prize for the first female. In third place was Chris White also of Beaver SC in a Laser. Innes Bamforth, representing the home club, sailing an RS Tera won the prize for being the first in the under 14s.
