2015 35th Student Yachting World Cup - RSrnYC Academy talent gears up

by Peta Stuart-Hunt on 9 Oct 2015 The 2015 Student Yachting World Cup (SYWoC), an ISAF recognised event hosted and run by students for students, is being held in France between 13-20 October and this year will host around 150 competitors from 15 countries. Four UK University teams are entered and everyone is either skippered or crewed by a Royal Southern Academy member.

The Oxford University team is skippered by 19 year-old Lulu Wallis; Cambridge is sailed by Damien Arnol (25), and 21 year-old Annabel Vose is heading up the Southampton University team. Annabel is a 420 World and European Champion and successfully skippered a women's match racing team to win the University World Championship last summer. She is joined by Academy members Jamie Diamond and Tom Harrison. The University of Strathclyde's team captain is 22 year-old Peter Cameron.

Competitors will race a minimum two races per day in J/80s, enabling each team to showcase their talents with the aim of being crowned University World Cup Champion.

The Royal Southern Yacht Club's Sailing Manager, Tim Thubron, says that everyone at the Club is extremely proud to see a world-class turnout emanating from the Academy and taking to the on-water stage for the 35th Student Yachting World Cup. 'We're hopeful that we'll see some Academy members on the prizegiving podium at the end of this major event,' commented Thubron.

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Didn't they do well!

Over the course of the Summer there have been some newsworthy results posted by current and former Royal Southern Academy sailing talent, notably Will Goldsmith and Alan Roberts.

Will, sailing with Anna Carpenter, were runners up in the J/70 National Championships (plus first Under 25 Team) and Will was also overall winner of the Melges 24 National Championships as well as the Melges 24 Dutch Open Championships.

Back in June, Alan Roberts (24) became the top British Solitaire du Figaro sailor in 40 years, coming in ninth overall in this four stage solo! Alan had previously been awarded the Royal Southern's 2014 Frank Heenan Award, presented annually to a Club member who has excelled at singlehanded sailing, be it racing or cruising.

Alan said: 'Having been a member of the Royal Southern for most my life, sailing Toppers and 29ers from the club and taking part in, and having a lot of fun in the Youth Splash weeks, it was great to receive this Award as my journey is just beginning into the vast world of offshore yacht racing. The Royal Southern has over the years supported me in various different ways and in a range of classes and types of sailing.'

Solo offshore sailor Nikki Curwen was the first British competitor to arrive in Lanzarote at the end of the first leg of the Mini Transat Iles de Guadeloupe and past Academy member Ben Saxton sailing with Nicola Groves, has just won the Nacra 17 Europeans in Barcelona.

Following all these successes and with the new University term having now started, the Royal Southern is reporting lots of interest from new students wanting to join their Academy to sail the four J/80s and take part in the team and match racing programme.

The Academy is for 18 - 25 year olds and enables them to be members of this prestigious Yacht Club for a very affordable subscription, a membership rate that remains the same up until the end of the member's 25th birthday year.