National Windsurfing Championships – Windsurfers vying for the glory

by RYA on 17 Sep 2015 2015 National Windsurfing Championships – More than 170 windsurfers will head to Grafham Water and Team15 Champions Cup this weekend (19-20 September).

The 2015 National Windsurfing Championships combines the UK Windsurfing Association (UKWA) Youth and Masters, The National Junior Windsurfing Championships and the Team15 Champions Cup. The event is open to all, however the top two Team15 teams in each region are eligible to compete in the Champions Cup.

British Sailing Team members will sail alongside beginners as eight classes of windsurfer race for National Championship title honours. A full schedule of races are planned over the weekend, although current forecasts show light winds.

British Sailing Team Podium sailor Izzy Hamilton, ranked fifth in the world will lead the RS:X 8.5 charge. Chasing Hamilton will be Christchurch siblings and ISAF Youth Sailing team members, Daniel and Emma Wilson. Podium Potential sailors Joe Bennett and Kieran Martin will be looking for championship glory in the RS:X 9.5 class as well as twin sisters Saskia and Imogen Sills.

In the 6.8M. Mollie Densley-Robins finished seventh in the Junior Girls fleet at the Techno European Championships in Latvia in July and will be vying for the top girls spot. 2014’s 5.8M winner, Isaac Bradley-Baker (West Kirby Warriors), has moved up a class and will race alongside Densley-Robbins. James Bulson (Croft Farm Flyers) and Ethan Moody (Oxford Zoomers) have also moved up to the 6.8M and will be in the mix.

Arun Brunskill (West Kirby Warriors) won the 3.5M class in 2014 and this year is taking on the new challenge of the 4.5M alongside sister Tess.

Team15 Champions Cup victors in 2014 were West Kirby from the North West, followed by Axbridge Animals (South) and Spray Sprites (South East), and all these have once again qualified for the final Team15 showdown.

Oxford Zoomers (Midlands) and Pugneys Pirates (North) having both won all four interclub events in their regions will be looking to challenge at the top.

Pete Davis, Team15 coordinator in 2014 runners-up Axbridge Animals, admits his sailors can’t wait to do Champions Cup battle again.

'We love taking part in the Champions Cup as it really brings the whole club together and makes for a very strong bond between them all including the parents, without whose support we wouldn’t be as successful as we have been.

'We won almost all our regional events to qualify for the Cup thanks to very strong 3.5 and 4.5 fleets and our up-and-coming T15ers. This is thanks to our coaches who give up their time for free, their reward being the success of the kids.'

This is the second year of the revised Team15 format featuring Team15 Academies and all regional interclub events taking place at the same venues.

Chris Blackburn, one of the RYA’s High Performance Managers, explains: 'The initial idea of bringing the Champions Cup into the National Windsurfing Championships was to enable youngsters to see all the pathways open to them.

'We hope to produce windsurfers that do go on to represent Great Britain at major international events at youth and senior level through Team15, but it’s critical we don’t lose those who don’t from the sport altogether.

'By having all classes and all ages represented at the Championships, and now with the addition of Britain’s top end RS:X sailors this year, all the Team15 sailors can see what’s out there for them whatever their ambitions and abilities.

'The National Windsurfing Championships should be a great event and a fantastic opportunity to get the windsurfing community together.'

Entries will be accepted on the day, subject to a late entry supplement of £10.