Please select your home edition
Edition
RYA Membership

Optimist Midlands Traveller Series Open at Barnt Green Sailing Club

by Debbie Smith 6 Sep 2021 07:32 BST 4 September 2021
Main fleet start in the Barnt Green Optimist Open © Debbie Smith

The second event of the Midlands Traveller Series for Optimists was held on Saturday 4th September.

With just enough time since lockdown ended for some new sailors to learn enough to join the racing, the turnout of new sailors was great with 19 in the regatta fleet and ten in main fleet. On the water coaching was provided for the regatta fleet by Steph Harding (RYA Racing Coach) assisted by Finley Moss.

The whole fleet in the Barnt Green Optimist Open - photo © Debbie Smith
The whole fleet in the Barnt Green Optimist Open - photo © Debbie Smith

A nice consistent breeze greeted the sailors for the morning racing with race leaders changing frequently and even the newest sailors completing the large figure of eight course. After a hot lunch and cakes provided by visiting sailors from Cardiff Bay, to raise money for Macmillan, the sailors returned to the water to face very light conditions - testing the tactics of the more experienced racers and introducing the newer sailors to the skill of roll tacking. A fouth race was abandoned and the fleets headed ashore.

Sailors in the Barnt Green Optimist Open - photo © Debbie Smith
Sailors in the Barnt Green Optimist Open - photo © Debbie Smith

Prizes were awarded to Thomas Kelsall - Staunton Harold SC 1st overall; Will Moss - Barnt Green SC 2nd overall; Theo Smith - South Staffs & Draycote SCs 3rd overall; Jack Hodgkins - South Staffs SC 1st junior in main fleet; Oscar Smith - South Staffs & Draycote SCs 1st regatta fleet; Lochlyn Grant - Leigh & Lowton & West Kirby SCs 2nd regatta fleet; Oscar Johnson - Blithfield SC 1st sailor sailing in their first event and Anila Atkins - Barnt Green SC 2ndsailor sailing in their first event. There were also prizes for all the sailors competing in their first event and awards to nine sailors for exhibiting great examples of the British Youth Sailing values and behaviours.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoNameClubPrize CategoryR1R2R3Pts
Main Fleet
1st6600Thomas KelsallStaunton Harold SC ‑3112
2nd6342William MossBarnt Green SC 1‑223
3rd6575Theo SmithSouth Staffs SC & Draycote SC 23‑45
4th6365Jack HodgkinsSouth Staffs SCJunior‑8459
5th6548Seb LyttleDatchet SCJunior4‑6610
6th6418Tristan ShawBanbury SCJunior‑108311
7th6344Jacob BennettGlossop SC 65‑811
8th5722Will CowleyMidland SC 5‑9914
9th6395Meg ThomasCardiff Bay YCJunior‑77714
10th6196Niamh EpsteinCardiff Bay YCJunior9‑101019
Regatta Fleet
1st5483Oscar SmithSouth Staffs SC & Draycote SC 1‑223
2nd6013Lochlyn GrantLeigh & Lowton SC & West Kirby SC 21‑33
3rd5391William ShawBanbury SC 3‑614
4th3613Oscar JohnsonBlithfield SCFirst Event‑4448
5th5611Tom CowleyMidland SC 55‑1310
6th4173Anila AtkinsBarnt Green SCFirst Event6‑7511
7th5288Oli CowleyMidland SC ‑1631114
8th5962Lerming WangBarnt Green SCFirst Event‑88614
9th5086Saoirise SmithBarnt Green SCFirst Event79(DNF)16
10thGBRHansen WangBarnt Green SCFirst Event11‑15718
11th1314Roisin EpsteinCardiff Bay YC (DNF)11819
12thK3913Kaitlyn TiffanyBarnt Green SCFirst Event‑14.512921
13th1192Joshua Garratt First Event913‑1522
14th4821Florence CroftBarnt Green SCFirst Event12‑141022
15th2913Luca JohnsonBlithfield SCFirst Event1310‑1423
16th3913Shay Moran First Event14.5(DNF)1226.5
17th2674Luke Hodgetts First Event10(DNF)DNC31
18th508Beatrice CroftBarnt Green SCFirst Event(DNF)161632
19th5609Hugo ThomasCardiff Bay YC (DNC)DNCDNC42
19th4021Stefan ClaridgeMidland SC (DNF)DNFDNC42

Related Articles

Draycote Academy update
Winter program really does support sailors' development That's a wrap for the 2024/25 Academy training, and we can see our winter program, with an ethos of time on the water, really does support sailor's development. While podiums and event wins are great we also focus on supporting sailors at all levels. Posted on 3 Apr The most important job in sailing
How Nick Scott is delivering radical change to competitive sailing pathways in the UK I am putting forward that falls to Nick Scott and his team. Namely to secure its competitive future by addressing challenges and delivering radical change while bringing people on that journey with him. Posted on 31 Mar Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy returns
With the introduction of the high-performance TP52 class The prestigious Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy is set to return for its sixth edition from July 4-6, 2025, promising a thrilling weekend of top-tier sailing in one of Europe's most scenic and challenging maritime locations, Cascais. Posted on 24 Mar Going to publish the 'F' word – Again!
Clearly, there are lots of young sailors out there looking to add a load of fun to their sailing Now we published the first one back in June last year. It did really well, thank you. Very much appreciated. Clearly, there are lots of young sailors out there looking to add a load of fun to their sailing, and are keen to get into the foiling world. Posted on 23 Mar Northamptonshire Youth Series final training
Now it's getting serious and the kids can put their training into action A total of sixteen juniors from 12 to 17 years old joined in the final round of winter training for young dinghy sailors. The event was held at Pitsford Reservoir, home of Northampton Sailing Club, with youngsters from Middle Nene SC also participating. Posted on 20 Mar Gill Optimist Spring Championships at Royal Torbay
A bright start to the season The Gill UK Optimist Class Spring Championships, organised by the International Optimist Class Association (IOCA) UK, took place on March 15-16 at the prestigious Royal Torbay Yacht Club in Torquay, Devon. Posted on 18 Mar Rooster 2025 Event Line-up: Supporting the Action!
Ssupporting the sailing community is at the heart of what Rooster do At Rooster, supporting the sailing community is at the heart of what we do. In 2025, we're proud to be backing a fantastic line-up of events - helping them not only take place but also thrive. Posted on 17 Mar SSCBC welcomes young and old with open arms
The sparkling waters of the Mornington Peninsula recently welcomed 88 Optimist sailors The sparkling waters of the Mornington Peninsula have recently welcomed 88 Optimist sailors from all over the country to participate in the 2025 Organic Garden International Optimist Victorian and Open Championship. Posted on 17 Mar Entry open for NEYYSA event at Ullswater
North Region Youth & Junior Championship is in June North East & Yorkshire Youth Sailing Association (NEYYSA) is pleased to announce that entry to the North Region Youth & Junior Championships is OPEN! The event will be held at Ullswater Yacht Club on 21 & 22 June 2025. Posted on 14 Mar NEYYSA Coaching at South Shields
Boundless enthusiasm on a fantastic day to be on the water! On Saturday 8th March, North East and Yorkshire Youth Sailing (NEYYSA) headed to South Shields SC for a day of training with 31 sailors. Posted on 10 Mar
Copyright 2025 YY Online Services Ltd. registered in England no. 7895890
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy