Pupils from Priestlands School in Pennington sail to victory

 

A TEAM of pupils from a Pennington school were on the crest of a wave when they were crowned national champions in an inter-schools sailing regatta.

Eighteen Priestlands youngsters competed in the recent 70th National Schools Championship at Itchenor Sailing Club.

The prestigious regatta event, also known as Itchenor Schools Week, first launched in 1953 as the Public Schools Firefly Invitation Championships.

This year a record-breaking 105 RS Fevas from 31 schools registered to take part in the races over two days.

The first race saw 96 set off from a single line at the mouth of Thorney Channel in Chichester Harbour.

Wind steadily increasing to a strong breeze meant some competitors chose not to use spinnakers, while those that did flew down-wind on the windward/leeward two-lap course.

Ultimately only 38 boats completed it before the day’s remaining races were called off due to the conditions.

Having enjoyed a social and disco at the sailing club that evening, the teams got back on the water the next day in a south-westerly moderate breeze.

Six races were completed, with two discards applied.

Brothers Dirk and Jonny Rogers from Priestlands battled it out with India Eastwood and Margot Evans from Wycombe Abbey School to claim second place overall.

With the top three boats from each school counting towards the Schools Team Prize, Freya Hutchinson and Joanna Macalister finishing 11th and Amelia & Isla Hutchinson 18th, Priestlands saw off tough competition to win.