RYA confirms new dates for 2021 Youth National Championships
by British Sailing Team 1 Feb 06:04 PST
9-13 August 2021
British Youth Sailing unveils pioneering Diploma in Sporting Excellence © Paul Wyeth / RYA
The postponed 2021 RYA Youth National Championships will take place from August 9 to 13 at Plymouth Youth Sailing Club in Devon, the RYA is pleased to announce.
The event, the country's most prestigious youth sailing competition, is traditionally held around Easter but earlier this month the decision was made to postpone it due to the Covid-19 situation.
The delay aims to grant young sailors more time to train in the run-up to the event when restrictions allow, and to enable the British Youth Sailing team to plan the best event possible.
It is hoped the timing will also allow the nationwide vaccination programme to take effect.
Original host Plymouth Youth Sailing Club has agreed to hold the rescheduled Youth Nationals from its base at the Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre on the shores of Plymouth Sound.
The event will feature the 420, Nacra 15, 29er and ILCA classes. It is the intention to hold a sprint series for the 29er fleet on Monday August 9 which will not count towards the overall series. The ILCA fleet will not race on Friday August 13 as they will need time to prepare for the ILCA National Championship which starts in Weymouth on August 14.
A Notice of Race will be published in due course, with entries opening in April.
The RYA Events team is still investigating possibilities for the foiling windsurfer and kiteboard classes, details of which will be released when available.
Mark Nicholls, RYA Youth Racing Manager, said: "We were all devastated when, earlier this month, we had to make the difficult decision to have to postpone the Youth Nationals from its original dates.
"However, this decision now appears to have been vindicated and the delay should mean we can deliver a safe, fun Youth Nationals that celebrates all that we love about racing.
"We're delighted that today we can announce the new August dates, and at the prospect of a mid-summer event. Our thanks go to Plymouth Youth Sailing Club and the Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre for working with us to ensure this great event can go ahead."
www.britishyouthsailing.co.uk