Youth Sailing Grand Prix details announced

by Craig Heydon on 10 Feb 2012 Youth Sailing Grand Prix 2012 details have been announced by Yachting Australia. A number of changes have been introduced for the coming year.

The Youth Sailing Grand Prix was introduced in 2011 and brought together a number of youth focused regattas across the country, with the series designed to build a stronger domestic competition that encourages youth participation and competition.

The series is open to Australian sailors under the age of 19 who compete in the Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, 420, 29er, Hobie 16 and Bic Techno classes, with a $20,000 cash prize pool up for grabs, to be used for future competition expenses.

To be eligible to win the Youth Sailing Grand Prix athletes are required to compete in a minimum of five regattas, with the events split into two groups; mandatory regattas being the respective class Australian Championships and the OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championships; with the remainder from the Sail Down Under Series and state-based regattas.

The Youth Sailing Grand Prix 2012 will feature the following events:

State-based regattas
Adelaide International Regatta 10-12 March 2012
Victorian State Youth Championships 14-15 April 2012
Mandurah Easter Regatta 6-9 April 2012
Queensland Youth Week 5 - 8 July 2012
New South Wales State Youth Championships 6-8 October 2012 (tbc)
Wildcat Regatta Foster October 2012 tbc
Victorian Catamaran States November 2012 tbc
Hobart Showdown Regatta 3-5 November 2012 (tbc)

Sail Down Under Series
Sail Brisbane - December 2012
Sail Sydney - December 2012
Sail Melbourne - December 2012

Class Nationals
Laser 4.7 - December 2012/January 2013
Laser Radial - December 2012/January 2013
420 - January 2013
29er - December 2012/January 2013
Hobie 16 - 29 December 2012 – 4 January 2013

As well as individual class awards a perpetual state trophy will be awarded to the best performing state over the year.

The winners of the inaugural Youth Sailing Grand Prix were announced at the recent OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championships in Brisbane.

First place in the Laser 4.7 boys was Benjamin Walkemeyer (WA) with Joshua Dawson (NSW) second and in the Laser 4.7 girls class Sophie Chesterman (TAS) won ahead of Melissa Hitchen-Haw (VIC).

Mitchell Kennedy (QLD) won the Laser Radial boys class just ahead of Jeremy O’Connell (VIC) with Ashley Stoddart (QLD) winning the Laser Radial girls with Ella Evans (QLD) second.

Paul Darmanin (NSW) alongside both Aleks Vucic (SA) and Lucy Copeland (NSW) won the Hobie 16 class with Tess Lloyd, Andrew Gillies and Lewis Duncan (VIC) winning the 29er from Harry Price, Sam Ellis and Nathan Edwards (NSW).

In the 420 boys class James Brewer and Dylan Passmore (NSW) were first with Thomas Klemens, William Llewellyn and James Oliver (VIC) second. West Australians Carrie Smith and Ella Clark won the 420 girls class ahead of Jacqueline Stokes and Megan Soulsby (SA).

Eamon Robershaw (WA) and Patrick Vos (WA) were first and second in the RS:X while in the Techno 293 Sam Treharne (NSW) won the boy’s class ahead of Hugh Jones (TAS) with Annalise Gilbert (NSW) the winning girl from Lara O’Brien (QLD).

New South Wales was the winning state for the year ahead of Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Youth Sailing Grand Prix website