British Keelboat Academy sailors set for the J80 Worlds

BKA J80 worlds crew at the RORC Easter Challenge © Paul Wyeth, RYA

BKA J80 worlds crew at the RORC Easter Challenge © Paul Wyeth, RYA

BKA J80 worlds crew at the RORC Easter Challenge © Paul Wyeth, RYA

Four young members from the British Keelboat Academy, the RYA and UKSA joint keelboat racing initiative, are preparing to take on the world’s best J80 sailors in the challenging waters of the Baltic Sea at the J80 World Championships (4-8 July).

The BKA squad members will converge on The Royal Danish Yacht Club based in the harbour of Dragor, Copenhagen, along with an estimated 70 other J80 boats from eleven other nations. The BKA crew set to race in one of the world’s largest keelboat classes include Stevie Beckett (Helm), Ali Morrish (Mainsheet/tactics), Ben Girling (Jib Trim) and Jonty Cook (Bow), for which will all be there first experience of competing in the J 80 Worlds.

The BKA team were given the sole responsibility of organising their campaign and funding for the event. The team of four have been working hard to gain sponsorship over the past eight months to raise the funds necessary for the event, rather than going through a selection process.

Stevie Beckett, BKA and J80 Helm from Solva, Pembrokeshire, said: “It is a huge step for me, I have competed in Laser World Championships, but to go to the J80 Worlds during my first year of competition is a big achievement.

“The BKA have provided us with excellent training over the last few months and we would not have been able to organise our campaign without the help and input from the BKA coaches. The training has taught me an awful lot in the lead up the J80 Worlds as well as giving me the confidence to lead my crew in such a high profile event.”

Jonty Cook, J80 Bow and a Youth National Match Racing Champion from Oxford, added: “The J80 is one of the most competitive and popular keelboats, and as such, the fleet is one of the biggest in the world. So far this year, the biggest event we have competed in has been the Warsash Spring series, consisting of 14 boats, so it’s quite a step up! However we are all feeling very confident and eager to get going.”

Luke McCarthy, British Keelboat Academy Head Coach, commented: “The sailors have spent the last 9 months preparing for this event, so it is great to see them finally off to the Worlds!

“We have had three J80s training as part of the British Keelboat Academy since October, and this crew were the most successful in terms of performance on the water and organising their campaign. As well as the training and racing on the water, the sailors have been involved with all aspects of the campaign, including logistics and raising the necessary money to attend this event. These are all highly valuable skills for the sailors to take forward to future campaigns.

McCarthy added: “This crew has a great mixture of skills and experiences. Three of them are still less than 20 with an exciting future ahead of them for sure. Several of them were new to keelboat sailing in the autumn having mainly sailed dinghies before, so they've certainly been on a steep learning curve! They have shown with their performance on the water that they have picked things up very quickly and are able to compete at a high level.”

Racing is scheduled to begin on Monday 4th July, with the warning signal for the first race of the day at 14.30.

The BKA’s sponsors include X-Ray at 77 and Group Dental, plus a number of generous supporters and suppliers. For more information about the British Keelboat Academy and how you can help with fundraising, please visit the BKA website at www.britishkeelboatacademy.org , or follow the BKA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BritishKeelboatAcademy or on Twitter (@tweetbka).