Please select your home edition
Edition
Selden 2020 - LEADERBOARD

Olympic stars inspire next wave of hopefuls at the RYA Youth Nationals

by British Sailing Team on 19 Apr 2014
Luke Patience with competitors on day one of the RYA Youth National Championships 2014 Paul Wyeth / RYA http://www.rya.org.uk
Olympic sailing stars Luke Patience, Hannah Mills and Nick Dempsey were on hand to inspire the next wave of Olympic hopefuls at the RYA Youth National Championships at Weymouth and Portland (14-18 April).

The five-day event, held at the scene of their 2012 silver medal-winning triumphs, is the premier event on the annual Youth Racing calendar, and is an event which Mills won herself in the 420 girls event in 2005.

The British Sailing Team trio were on hand to watch the next generation racing, and to share their experiences and top tips with the young sailors, which number some 392 across six boat classes in what’s the biggest ever RYA Youth National Championships.

Mills’ Youth Nationals victory provided a springboard on to her medal success at Youth World Championship level that year, which was the platform which saw her qualify into the British Sailing Team’s Olympic Development Squad and the start of her journey in the 470 class towards Olympic glory seven years later.

The 26-year-old Mills, who went on to win World Championship gold in 2012 as well as her historic Olympic silver, has fond memories of the RYA Youth National Championships as an event which helped shape her as a sailor and a future Olympic competitor.

'I have great memories of the RYA Youth National Championships, obviously the one which I won and was selected to represent Great Britain at the ISAF Youth Worlds which was amazing. I just remember having a great week, the competition is always really tight and the racing is such great fun.

'It’s great to be down here today to watch the country’s best youth sailors and to try and inspire the next generation of Olympic hopefuls.'

As well as the honour of being crowned RYA Youth National Champion, the event doubles up as a selection event for the British Youth Sailing Team set to compete at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships, which this year takes place in in Tavira, Portugal in July. The opportunity to earn selection to the RYA UK Youth Squads and to win a host of international travel grants will also be up for grabs.

But while competitive juices will certainly be flowing on the Olympic and Paralympic waters of Weymouth and Portland, Patience, who finished fourth in the 420 boys event in 2004, and third in 2003, urged the young sailors to enjoy themselves and learn as much as they can from the racing this week.

'Winning is great but it’s not everything for a young sailor. I know many other sailors on the British Sailing Team who never won a Youth Nationals and who have gone on to achieve great things.

'There are always lessons to pull upon for the people who don’t do as well as they had hoped, and often those lessons are actually more valuable than for those who did well at the event,' explained Patience.

The RYA Youth National Championships continues until Friday 18 April – for full results and information, visit the event website. British Sailing Team website
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_GP BOTTOMHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeNorth Sails Loft 57 Podcast

Related Articles

The Philadelphia Cup Regatta preview
There's still time to register Sail on or spectate along the Delaware River this Saturday, at The Philadelphia Cup Regatta presented by Sea Philly and the Independence Seaport Museum.
Posted today at 10:43 am
Melges 15 Fittings Guide
A breakdown of the fittings based on a complete Allen Brothers fit-out If you are looking to upgrade or replace the hardware on your Melges 15, it helps to know exactly which fittings you need and what their role is on the boat.
Posted today at 7:30 am
Fortaleza World Sailing Championships announced
Test event in January 2026, and the real thing in January 2027 World Sailing has confirmed the dates for Fortaleza 2027 World Sailing Championships as 22-30 January 2027, with a Test Event being held one year prior.
Posted today at 6:40 am
All set in Trieste for the Melges 24 Worlds
Racing set to begin at Yacht Club Adriaco The countdown is nearly over. In just a few hours, the Yacht Club Adriaco will oversee the start of one of the most eagerly awaited international sailing events of the season.
Posted today at 4:41 am
2025 Six Metre World Championship Day 1
Wind gods fail to deliver in Oyster Bay, NY Sadly day one of the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (SCYC) proved to be a non-starter as the wind failed to make an appearance.
Posted today at 12:51 am
International One Design World Championship
Northeast Harbor, Maine, hosts IOD fleet The 2025 world championship for the International One-Design class (IOD) was a 6-day series this year, hosted by the Northeast Harbor Fleet (Northeast Harbor, Maine), in early September.
Posted on 22 Sep
52 Super Series Porto Cervo practice race
The loss of the last 'dress rehearsal' is something of a disappointment Although there was just enough breeze to execute a couple of meaningful practice starts, the breeze dropped away and thereafter proved insufficient to allow the planned two short official practice races to be sailed today off Porto Cervo.
Posted on 22 Sep
Materials That Make the Difference
Discover the performance fabrics behind the Henri-Lloyd AW25 collection Discover the performance fabrics behind our AW25 collection. This season, Henri-Lloyd has focused on advanced, responsibly sourced materials designed to thrive in demanding coastal conditions.
Posted on 22 Sep
Teams are go for 2025 Six Metre World Championship
29 boats registered and ready to race Registration is now complete and 29 teams from ten nations are ready to race for the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club on Long Island Sound.
Posted on 22 Sep
2025 Dutch Water Week overall
From experiment to future The Dutch Water Week concluded today with the pilot finals of the Sailing Grand Slam (SGS).
Posted on 22 Sep