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Nacra 15 class at the RYA Youth Nationals

by UK Nacra 15 Class Association 20 Apr 2023 08:18 BST 10-14 April 2023
2023 RYA Youth National Championships at the WPNSA © Paul Wyeth / RYA

The 2023 Nacra 15 racing season started with a bang - windy Weymouth providing tough conditions for the youth multihull teams from the UK and further afield!

As the opening round of the UK Nacra 15 National Series and European Super Series, teams from around the UK were joined by sailors from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, all racing alongside the other youth classes at the 2012 Olympic venue. For many teams this was the first racing event in the class having spent the winter getting to grips with the boat, whilst for more experienced teams the event offered an opportunity to dial in some racing practice ahead of a busy 2023 season.

A wet and windy Monday was not the ideal start to the event, AP over A flown early in the day as the forecast was due to build. With more strong wind due to arrive at 1300, racing on Tuesday was moved forwards, sailors launching at 0900 and heading downwind to Weymouth Bay with a steady 15kts and relatively flat water. The fleet managed three action packed races in an already building breeze, delivering some spectacular wipeouts and close racing throughout the fleet. The day saw three different winners across the three races; Albie & Izzy, Mateo & Mathieu and Sam and Sophie all taking bullets!

The race committee made the sensible decision to return the fleet to shore after Race 3, a wild upwind ride back to the slipway in wind now steadily above 30 knots! After a review of the forecast for Wednesday's incoming Storm Noa, the decision was made to abandon the next day's racing on Tuesday evening.

The heavy rain and gale force winds on Wednesday morning left no doubt in the decision to stay ashore. After a group effort to ensure all boats were well tied down, sailors spent the day in the RYA Sailor Hub, with talks from British Sailing Team members and Olympic champions as well as presentations about several new RYA transition programmes, interspersed with wave-watching trips to Chesil Beach.

Everyone was relieved to see sunshine and less breeze on Thursday morning; the fleet enjoyed 15-24kts and small swell - Nacra 15 sailing at its best! Conditions remained steady throughout the day with Mateo & Mathieu and Sam & Sophie trading race wins throughout the day, but with Albie & Izzy finishing ahead of the Belgian pair in the final race of the day, Sam & Sophie won the day and equalized their overall points heading into Friday.

With an exciting battle for the event win poised and opportunities to gain places for every boat in the fleet, it was disappointing to hear the 30 knot gusts whistling through the boat park on the final day of racing. An indefinite postponement was eventually replaced with AP over A as wind increased and visibility worsened. Boats were quickly loaded onto trailers - everyone eager to retreat back out of the rain for the prize-giving.

Tied on points and each counting an impressive three 1st place and three 2nd places, Sam & Sophie took the RYA Youth National title thanks to their win in the final race. Mateo & Mathieu finished second by the narrowest of margins, with Albie & Izzy rounding out the podium. The German pair of Frederic Schule & Catharina Jacobs finished fourth, closely followed by third placed British team, Tara & Jacques Scully, just one point ahead of the top Dutch team of Feline Mous & Marteen Valkenburg. The results sheet remained tight throughout the fleet, many positions only separated by a single point. Full results are available here.

"We didn't have a great first day, struggled a bit to get off the start line and had a little swim at one point! We managed to pull it back through with some consistent results which we are pleased with" - Sam Cox, 18

As always, the event wouldn't have been possible without the support from the staff at the RYA and volunteers who organised some awesome racing and kept everybody safe on the water in challenging conditions! A special thanks goes to all of the parents in the Nacra 15 fleet who commit their time to supporting their sailors and the class as a whole, and it was great to see the parents enjoying the social side of the event throughout the week.

Several comments were made by senior race committee members and parents from other classes about the conduct of the Nacra 15 sailors - always on the slipway to help one another ashore, continuing to offer assistance until all classes were on shore. It is always great to hear positive feedback about our awesome group of sailors - a credit to the friendly and supportive environment within the class.

The RYA used the event to trial new race management technology; the Nacra 15 fleet selected to trial the Vakaros Atlas 2 units with RaceSense software. Vakaros summarised that "The Nacra 15's were the perfect platform to bring the RaceSense to Europe. The racing is fast and competitive and the sailors are curious; the future of the sport is strong and we can't wait to see UK youth sailing grow".

The 2023 Nacra 15 calendar is now in full swing, with the summer training programme kicking off at Restronguet for both RYA Youth Squad and Class Open Training groups. The UK National Series continues at Rutland SC in May alongside the biggest catamaran fleets in the UK, whilst British teams will be heading to the European Super Series events at eurOcat (Carnac, FRA) and Dutch Youth Regatta (Workum, NED) over the next month.

The UK Nacra 15 class, supported by Nacra UK, is excited to offer taster sessions throughout the summer, either alongside class training or at dedicated taster opportunities. Register your interest here. There has never been a better time to get involved in the youth multihull class, with a growing fleet, a coaching programme catering to all levels and new and second hand boats available. Find out more at www.nacra15.co.uk.

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