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GJW Direct 2024 Dinghy

Neilson GBR Cadet World Team on the way to Buenos Aires

by Ian Harris 9 Dec 2016 11:43 GMT 26 December 2016 - 4 January 2017

The Neilson GBR Cadet World Team spent some weeks working out how to get 12 Cadets and associated sailing kit into a container bound for the 50th Cadet World Championships to be held at Club Nautico Albatros, Buenos Aires over Christmas and New Year. With dedication and hard work from Cadet parents Geoff and Kim Mayhew and Chris and Jane Sparks, four scaffold framed, wheel-able, 3 stack Cadet trolleys were made to fit the team 40' container. With some imagination and engineering skill the team boats fitted in with just 50mm to spare at each end!

With the selection series completed some months ago, a team of parents has been working hard to establish the logistics and financing of the team to Argentina. The class owe a big thanks to Neilson Holidays for offering their support to the GBR Cadets and to Ross Wilkinson for introducing them to the class. The Neilson team came to witness the squad in action at a blustery and cold training session at W&PNSA and were suitably impressed by the skill of the GBR sailors and their commitment during the long tiring sessions.

This year's Neilson GBR team is an almost completely new squad. Most of this team placed in the top 15 in the Promotional regatta at the 2015 Lake Garda championships with Ryan Wilkinson stepping into this current team as the Promotional Champion. Jamie Harris, the only remaining helm from last year's team, won all 3 GBR qualifiers, but Jamie has been pushed hard this season by the ever more competitive Megan Ferguson who won the recent Inland Championships, and Ellie Wooton, and Izzy Speirs, who have been at the top in of every event.

  • 9985, Jamie Harris and Toni Wilkinson
  • 9984, Isobel Speirs and Emily Speirs
  • 10001, Harry Chatterton and Faye Chatterton
  • 9876, Ellie Wooton and Amelia Mayhew
  • 10002, Megan Ferguson and Yasmin Sfaxi
  • 9321, Katie Spark and Connor Line
  • 9877, Hattie Collingridge and Hamish Collingridge
  • 9962, Cara Bland and Ines Green
  • 8997, Ryan Wilkinson and Eliza Jones
  • 9020, Anna Morgan and Jemima Hill

This will be the 50th Cadet Worlds and the GBR team will be up against strong squads from South America as well as those from Europe and Australia. This year there is a strong team from Uruguay entered and even rumours of some Chilean boats taking part too. The international teams will be well aware that no one has yet managed to beat the Argentinian sailors on their home waters in the history of the Cadet Class World Championship. The challenge and hospitality that awaits should make for a superb competition over the festive period, and with under 20 days to go, the excitement is mounting.

More information on the Neilson GBR Cadet team is available at www.ukcadetworldteam2016.org.uk/index.html and the sailors at www.ukcadetworldteam2016.org.uk/meet-the-team.html

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