RYA NI Youth Championships at Carrickfergus Sailing Club

RYA NI Youth Championships at Carrickfergus SC © RYA Northern Ireland

Excitement was in the air at Carrickfergus Sailing Club as more than 137 of Northern Ireland's Youth and Junior sailors took to the water to compete in the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Championships.

Racing took part of over two days on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 September and it was a thrilling weekend as 121 boats battled it out in each of the seven categories.

Competitors took to the water on Saturday for three races in light and variable conditions with four races for the ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 fleets.

On Sunday with the wind dropping, there was a delayed start. Race Officers Robin Gray and Sheela Lewis then managed to complete a single race for each class.

There were six Regatta Fleet races over the weekend with coaches Dave Nelson, Chris and Jessica Penney delivering training as part of the event.

RYA Northern Ireland's High Performance Manager, Andrew Baker, commented: "It was fantastic to be at Carrickfergus Sailing Club for the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Championships. The venue was excellent and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone at the Club for their hard work and enthusiasm to ensure the weekend was such a success.

"It has been another challenging year for sport and I am delighted that we were able to run this event and I thank everyone for adhering to all Covid guidelines that were set in place.

He added: "All of the sailors have done themselves proud this weekend and we are looking forward to seeing their progression as they continue to train throughout the year."

The full results of the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Championships are below:

Overall Awards:

Female Junior Champion: Kate Brow - Ballyholme Yacht Club
Male Junior Champion: Bobby Driscoll - Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club
Female Youth Champion: Ellen Barbour - County Antrim Yacht Club
Male Youth Champion: Daniel Palmer - Ballyholme Yacht Club
Northern Ireland Schools Cup: Larne
Northern Ireland Club Trophy: Ballyholme Yacht Club
Junior Champion: Bobby Driscoll - Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club
Youth Champion: Daniel Palmer - Ballyholme Yacht Club

Full results here

More information on the Youth Performance Programme applications