Enter now for the Inter-Club Youth Keelboat National Championship
by Peta Stuart-Hunt 22 Oct 2013 12:50 BST
29 March 2014
J80 fleet racing in 2012 at Royal Southern Yacht Club © RSrnYC / Mike Austen
The Royal Southern Yacht Club will host the 2014 Inter-Club Keelboat Championships on Saturday 29th March 2014.
This event is open to IRC yachts with a minimum TCC rating of 0.900 and not exceeding 1.085. The helm and 60% of all crew on board should be 25 years old or under and shall not have reached their 26th birthday by Dec 31st 2014.
In March 2013 the Club learned from the experimental format i.e. two boat teams including one J80, that this can be difficult for some Clubs to achieve so it's going to be easier to enter in 2014 with straight IRC racing. The Club represented by the yacht with the best series score will be awarded the Griffin Trophy, kindly donated by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC). The race programme will comprise two windward / leeward and two round the cans races. Multiple entries from Clubs are being encouraged.
Last year's winner, Poole Yacht Club, has been actively encouraging youth sailing in keelboats for some time, according to spokesman Jim Macgregor:
"The Poole and Parkstone Yacht Clubs have enjoyed their annual Commodores' Youth Challenge over the past 19 seasons. The under-18 youth compete in December, match racing Elan 333s. The camaraderie this has developed lasts for years and pays big dividends for keeping these busy kids involved in the Club's activities after they leave school, university and all those other activities and responsibilities that compete for their attention.
"The Inter-Club Youth Keelboat Nationals will give your Club and youth sections a chance to develop these long lasting bonds and self-awareness that comes from the experience of sailing in a keelboat team."
The Entry Form and Notice of Race are available to download now.
The Sailing Secretary, Natalie Gray, can be contacted on 023 8045 0302 or