The RYA Eric Twiname Junior & Youth Team Racing Championships took place 7-8 October 2023 at Oxford Sailing Club on Farmoor Reservoir. Possibly the world's biggest event for youth team racing, this renowned regatta saw a huge 348 sailors turning up to participate. Racing started promptly on the Saturday with a good strong breeze of 15-17 knots and the race committee got in as many races as possible.
Unlike traditional fleet racing regattas, this event features kids, aged 8 to 18, sharing RS Feva and Firefly dinghies. Teams do on-water changeovers and compete in short-burst races.
The 2023 Championships is the first time the event was run on three courses. Usually, it is just split into two; Youth (Under 19s) and Junior (Under 17s) and teams race 3 v 3. However, this year the committee wanted to make it more inclusive, so the Junior category was split into two classes; the Under 17s and the Under 15s.
Event Director, Jake Fennick, ran the regatta on behalf of the RYA. "It was an unforgettable championship. A monster in size, we had 348 sailors at the venue! With 73 teams across the three courses, we did almost 300 races on the Saturday. That wouldn't have been possible without the support from RS. We couldn't have got those extra flights of boats in without them."
There was a huge array of volunteers from straight-forward event support, administrators, juries, umpires and race officers. All-in-all it was a superb mix of fast and furious racing blended with some well-timed breaks for social time ashore.
The Eric Twiname Trust wants to see more people taking part in team racing and building confidence in youth sailors. As Jack put it: "This is your call to arms! If you experienced team racing, loved it and want to do more, contact the RYA for help and guidance to make it happen at your own club."
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