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Greater than the sum of its parts

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Welsh sailing charity scoops international award

The Challenge Wales charity which operates the sail training vessels Challenge Wales | Wales Tall Ship and Adventure Wales won the award due to the work it has done during 2019 with hundreds of disadvantaged young people, helping them to develop their employability skills. The charity is only the third UK recipient of the Award since the awards started in 2007. The predominantly volunteer-run charity provides social and personal development training for those aged 12 – 25 years. It has worked with homeless/risk of homeless young people as well as young carers, those in the care system, young people with learning difficulties, LGBTQ groups, college and school pupils and those who are financially disadvantaged through unemployment or lack of opportunities. The charity has also developed Agored Cymru accredited learning, undertaken onboard, giving young people something tangible for their CV. Paul Bishop, Head of Race Directorate at Sail Training International said, “This has been a great year for Challenge Wales and they have been an inspiration to all of us involved in Sail Training. “They have worked with hundreds of young people from diverse backgrounds, offering unique and inclusive sail training programmes. “Challenge Wales made a terrific contribution to The Tall Ships Races and a real difference to the young people who participated, encouraging international friendship and cultural understanding. “Challenge Wales engages in remarkable youth development, which demonstrates innovation, best practice and delivering excellence – which is why they are so deserving of the Sail Training Organisation of the Year Award.” Challenge Wales Trustee Vicky Williams said, “Winning this award, in our tenth year of operating, is an amazing accolade to our volunteers, supporters and team. “We’ve had some amazing results getting young people back into employment, volunteering or education and through independent evaluation our sail training programme has been evidenced to show that it has a positive impact on young people’s mental health and wellbeing as well as developing their life skills. “Sail Training is a great leveller and challenges the individual. Our programme also adapts with us and this year we raised awareness of sustainability and one-use plastic issues and its impact on the ocean. “It is great that our work is being recognised within the industry and at an international level.” Challenge Wales has an exciting sail training programme planned for 2020 that young people and groups can be part of, with bursary funding available to support many young people aged 12 – 25 years.

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Sailing round Britain

ROUND THE ISLAND RACE 2020 DATE CONFIRMED

The date for one of the world’s most iconic sailing races, Round the Island Race, has been confirmed for 2020. Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, will take in the stunning coastline of the Isle of Wight on Saturday 30th May 2020. The event has been a firm fixture on the sailing calendar since 1931. Each year thousands of competitors from across the world take part in the 50 nautical mile event. The official race village will once again be based at Cowes Parade, with live entertainment, a bar and local businesses showcasing. Dave Atkinson, Island Sailing Club Event Director, said: “The Island Sailing Club is delighted to confirm the date of next year’s Round the Island Race – which is earlier this year. The event has been a firm favourite in the sailing calendar for many, many years. “We have some more exciting news to announce in the New Year – and we can’t wait. Round the Island 2020 is one not to miss – on and off the water! “Vouchers are now available via the Race Website for anyone looking to purchase a gift and these can be redeemed against race entry fees.” For more details and how to register to take part in Round the Island Race 2020, visit roundtheislandrace.org.uk.

Subaru Flying Fifteen World Championships 2019 - Racing

Wanted: sailors and boat owners for exciting new offshore Olympic event

The RYA is on the hunt for sailors and boat owners interested in the new double-handed mixed offshore event that will debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This exciting discipline will see mixed pairs battle it out over a four-day offshore race in a new showcase for the sport. With planning for Paris 2024 already underway, the RYA has registered an entry for a British team in the 2020 World Sailing Offshore World Championship (OWC), held in conjunction with the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The RYA would now like to hear from any motivated and experienced sailors interested in trying double-handed offshore sailing, and they are also keen to hear from any boat owners who may either be looking for a racing partner or prepared to loan or charter a suitable boat to others. Jack Fenwick, RYA Keelboat Manager, is hoping to bring interested parties together in early 2020 with a view to running double-handed offshore taster sessions and training next spring. “Double-handed offshore sailing could appeal to a wide range of people from professional sailors to existing or former international sailors, or perhaps even those just graduating from our RYA British Keelboat Academy,” he said. “At this stage we would like to hear from as many people as possible to try and build a database of interested parties. We would particularly like to hear from yacht owners who might be looking for partners to get afloat and give it a try.” In a vote of confidence for the existing RORC racing series, the RYA has announced that selection for the OWC, taking place in Malta in October 2020 in L30 yachts, will be based solely on the popular RORC Channel Race which starts from Cowes on August 1. “We believe the existing RORC Racing calendar of events will provide excellent training opportunities and should be a huge advantage to British medal hopes in 2024," said Ian Walker, RYA Director of Racing. "It would be great to see lots of teams fighting it out for the double-handed trophies within the RORC’s Season Points Championship." Chris Stone, RORC Racing Manager, said: “In 2020 the Channel Race will run as normal for our IRC rated fleet but we will extend the race for those double handed mixed entries who wish to be considered in the RYA selection for the OWC. The intention is for this selection event to best replicate the duration of the OWC which is likely to be three or four days.” RORC racing is IRC rated and not one design so in order to best reflect the criteria of the new Olympic equipment, the RYA selection for the OWC will only be open to fixed keel, monohulls within a proposed IRC rating band between 0.990 and 1.055 (subject to confirmation). Walker added: “We need to strike a balance between keeping the rating band as narrow as possible to minimise the impact of the boats’ rating differences on the results and making the selection as accessible as possible for a range of suitable existing boats. We will confirm the rating band after any revisions to the IRC rule for 2020.” The official selection policy will be published by 1 March 2020 but anybody interested in getting involved in double handed, mixed offshore sailing is warmly encouraged to register their interest by sending an e-mail containing details of their sailing experience, aspirations and their boat (if they have one) to keelboatracing@rya.org.uk. If more than 20 nations enter the OWC then there will need to be a country qualification event in Europe in May / June 2020. Britain would then need to send a representative team to aim to qualify a place for Britain for the OWC in Malta and an announcement will be made on how these representatives will be selected once the details are announced by World Sailing in due course.

Britannia on the move

2020 Boat of the Year Winner

Sailing World magazine has selected the top new performance sailboats from its annual Boat of the Year competition, awarding the Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 as the 2020 Boat of the Year. The versatile 32-footer, built at Jeanneau’s facilities in Poland, is designed primarily for solo and doublehanded racing, a fast-growing segment of the sport. “The days of long-distance races on boats requiring large crews is long past,” says Dave Reed, Sailing World’s editor and Boat of the Year director. “The trend continues toward smaller boats requiring fewer crew, and the judges agreed—unanimously—that the Sun Fast 3300 is a boat that will excite experienced sailors who are keen to compete in shorthanded offshore races. There’s innovation and practicality throughout the boat, from its hull shape to the sailhandling and water-ballast systems to the simple and utilitarian interior.” The Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 emerged as the judges’ top choice after a week of in-depth dockside inspections and sail tests on the waters in October off Annapolis, Maryland. From a field of 11 new designs, Sailing World’s independent Boat of the Year judges (all industry professionals) also selected four additional boats as award-worthy:

Excess 15 catamaran 2019 - Winner British Yachting Award Multihull Of Th...