British Keelboat League Qualifier 4 at Royal Southern Yacht Club - Preview
by Steve Dean 21 Jun 2019 11:40 PDT
22-23 June 2019
British Keelboat League Qualifier © Phil Jackson / Digital Sailing
Youth are the future of our sport, so we at the British Keelboat League believe it is fitting to have a dedicated Youth qualifying round to give the young aspiring champions a route to the national finals. This qualifier will take place this weekend on the 22nd and 23rd of June 2019. Royal Southern Yacht Club, based on the Hamble river are looking forward to welcoming young sailing talent from across the United Kingdom.
To meet the age criteria the full youth team had to be over 16 and under the age of 25 on the finals weekend of the 29th September. Entering the youth event will give teams the chance to experience racing in one of the new RStwoone keelboats in one of the finest racing locations in the UK, the Solent. With a mixed forecast predicted over the course of the weekend, there should be a fair mixture of light and heavy breeze to challenge the youth teams. In addition, the Solent's infamous tide will catch out even the most experienced sailors, so the teams can expect some testing racing over the two days.
The weekend will comprise of a fleet of RS21s and up to 12 teams from local clubs competing in quickfire "sprint" races, each lasting around 15 minutes. Races will be umpired, and teams will rotate between boats in the fleet throughout the weekend of racing. By Sunday afternoon every team will have competed in approximately twelve races and the top two teams identified for qualification into the national final. The 2019 final will be hosted by Royal Thames Yacht Club later in the year.
Stay tuned over the course of the weekend by following the British Keelboat League Facebook page. Many thanks to our sponsors and partners, Bainbridge Marine, Rooster, Draper Tools and RS Sailing.