RYA Eric Twiname Championship turns 20!

by RYA/Myrrh Walker on 4 May 2006 This year, the RYA Eric Twiname Championship celebrates its 20th birthday on the 6-7 May 2006 at the Rutland Sailing Club, Rutland. The event will see almost 300 young competitors and 240 boats and windsurfers descend on Rutland for a weekend of racing and anniversary festivities.

The RYA ET Championship is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the RYA Junior calendar. In keeping with tradition, many of the young competitors entered into the 2006 RYA ET Championship will be competing at a large scale, multi-class, multi-course, national event for the first time.

Competitors, between 8 and 14 years of age, will travel from around the UK to represent one of the six English Zones or Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, in the Mirror, Optimist, Topper, Cadet, Windsurf Bic Techno 293OD, and the Topper 4.2. Each sailor will be vying to win the Eric Twiname Shield for best overall Zone or home country.

For the first time ever, in celebration of 20 years of racing at the RYA ET Championship, the top finishing boat in each fleet will be recognised with a perpetual trophy that will mark their victory for years to come.

To help observe the event's 20th birthday, five Zone coaches will return to coach at the Championships, an event that they once raced in themselves. Duncan Truswell, RYA Junior Racing Manager is also a veteran of the event, organising the Championships for the past three years and competing for Yorkshire and Humberside in 1988.

'I am delighted to be returning to Rutland Sailing Club again this year, for the 20th Anniversary of the RYA Eric Twiname Championship. Over the last 20 years rafts of sailors have benefited from the support of the Eric Twiname Trust by having the opportunity to compete and develop at this prestigious regatta.'

Since the event's inception, all costs associated with running the regatta are covered by the RYA and by the Eric Twiname Memorial Trust. Bruce Aitken, Chairman of the Trust explained, 'We are delighted that the RYA Eric Twiname Championship is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and we offer congratulations to all concerned for its continuing success.

'Financial support of this very successful junior event has been our flagship grant since the earliest days of the Eric Twiname Memorial Trust and we are particularly pleased to see how the Championship has grown from strength to strength. Good luck to all this year's competitors and long may the event flourish.'

For the fourth year running, Rutland Sailing Club, which is recognised as one of the UK's premier inland sailing clubs and one of the first clubs to attain Volvo RYA Champion club status, will host the event with the support of over 120 volunteers, many of them local to the Rutland area.

The battle of the zones will take place from 6-7 May at Rutland Water.

Further event information and results can be found on the event website:

http://www.ryaevents.org.uk/erictwiname/