ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - ILCA6 fleet report

The ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club saw a weekend of difficult but tactical racing, with three races completed across the two days. Conditions remained light, with 2-8 knots of breeze, big pressure differences, and shifty winds, making it a test of linking the pressure and staying in phase with the shifts.

A notable addition to this event was the use of trackers to track the racing, provided by TracTrac/Blueskyeventsupport.

ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - photo © James Harle

The tracker allows spectators to watch real-time live racing and gives sailors the chance to review the race to see the gains and losses afterwards. The live leaderboard displayed crucial information, including boat speed, distance to the next mark, boat heading, and total distance sailed.

To build on this, James Foster will be hosting an online coached race playback session on Thu Feb 6th, using the data in the race viewer to help sailors refine their race strategies. The session is provided by TracTrac/Blueskyeventsupport.

ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - photo © James Harle

Overall and Category Winners

In the ILCA 6 fleet, Toby Waggett secured the overall victory, with impressive consistency, while also taking the U17 boys' title. Freddie Sunderland and Archie Munro-Price completed the podium after a weekend of tight racing. Amélie Hacker claimed the ILCA 6 female title in 5th overall, ahead of Millie Lewis and Felicity Angell, with Jessica Powell finishing as the first U17 girl.

Top 3 Boys (ILCA 6):
1 Toby Waggett (1st U17 Boy)
2 Freddie Sunderland
3 Archie Munro-Price

ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - photo © James Harle

Top 3 Girls (ILCA 6):
1 Amelie Hacker
2 Millie Lewis
3 Felicity Angell
First U17 Girl: Jessica Powell

ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - photo © James Harle

Fastest Boat of the Day (FAB)
FAB Day 1: Leo Yates
FAB Day 2: Billy Morris

ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - photo © James Harle

ILCA 6 Race Highlights

Race 1: Leo Yates had a dominant first beat, but unfortunately, he was black-flagged,opening the door for Freddie Sunderland, who took the lead at the gate and defended it to the finish. Close battles played out behind him, with Toby Waggett and Lewis Bacon rounding out the top three. Amélie Hacker and Cameron Bignold-Kyles also had standout performances.

Race 2: Hugh Andrews and Archie Munro-Price led off the start, heading right into stronger pressure. However, Toby Waggett managed to overtake on the second beat, playing the shifts more effectively, again on the right-hand side, allowing him to secure the race win.

Race 3: Archie Munro-Price executed an impressive race, winning the pin end of the start and controlling the centre-left side of the course. Rounded the first mark in the lead and continued to extend his advantage throughout the race. Tom Rawlings and Jessica Powell both had strong upwind performances, while Toby Waggett and Cameron Bignold-Kyles made big gains on the downwind legs to finish second and third, respectively.

ILCA UK Youth Winter Trophy at Datchet Water Sailing Club - photo © James Harle

Acknowledgements

Thanks to our sponsors: Harken, Rooster and Ovington. And a special thanks to TracTrac. And Bluesky for their support.

Despite the light conditions, the race team did an excellent job of delivering competitive racing. A huge thank you to the Race Officers Paul Jackson, who oversaw Saturday's racing, and Jane Sunderland, who managed the course on Sunday. Special thanks also to the safety crews who also laid the marks, the jury, the tally team, the beach team and all the volunteers who helped make the event possible.

Overall Results:

Tracking:

Watch the races here at tractrac.com/event-page/event_20250201_ILCAUKYout/3094