NSSA National Regatta at Datchet - Review of the week
This year Leicestershire and Rutland took 14 young sailors to the National Schools Sailing Association's National Regatta, held at Datchet Water near Windsor. The event is based on 4 days racing for trophies at the end of the week, with special races on the Wednesday such as the Mount Hayes double handed trophy. We entered two teams in this, Andrew & Oli, Tom & Cheryl.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the week, mixed weather and low flying planes added to the excitement and there was some really good racing. It was the first NSSA regatta for three of the sailors who all got stuck in quickly. A particular mention of Oli keeping his family involved as his Dad and Uncle are both past winners of Leicestershire's Hayward Tankard. For many other sailors it was their first regatta in the main fleets and all coped well.
The standard of sailing this year was very high. Everyone improved their skills throughout the week. Trophy winners were:
- Hayward Tankard (for best placed LRYSA sailor): Andrew McEvoy
- LRYSA President's Award (sailor of the week): Tom Jeffery
- The Triumph Award (LRYSA award for sportsmanship): Charlie Robertson
Cheryl was nominated for and won the NSSA Presidents award, one of eight places on 'Sceptre' for a week. This is a 1958 America's cup yacht and recognises the work of young sailors in helping others within the sport.
Big thanks to Datchet Water for hosting a great event.
I'm sad to step down as a Team Manager but leave the team in the very capable hands of Rod Rayner with help and support from several others. I'll still be very much involved with the other LRYSA activities such as regattas and behind the scenes. The event this year has to be the most enjoyable of the 6 I've now helped with so all the young sailors really are a credit to the LRYSA.
Becky Sharpe
Becky's last year as race team manager
Becky has never been the sort of girl to blow her own trumpet so let me do it for her.
I first met Becky when she came to sail with Market Bosworth High School in 1997 when she was 11 years old. From the start she stood out as an excellent little sailor and mature beyond her years. It wasn’t long before she was assisting me on Wednesday evenings to instruct her fellow pupils from the High School. She also helped me train youngsters on Friday nights to form our first youth racing team, including Mike Wood now world champion in his class, and Nick Ward who also sailed for great Britain.
I could tell from the start that Becky had all the qualities needed to make a good instructor. Patience, empathy, and that rare gift of making a teaching session for the pupils fun, but informative.
Becky became an assistant instructor at 15 and a fully qualified instructor at just 18.
In 1999 she sailed in front of Princess Anne for the re-naming of John Merricks Lake, a great honour.
In 2005 I took over as Chairman and Principal of the LRYSA. The organisation was going nowhere. There had been no youth team representing Leicestershire for 10 years. I needed reliable and committed instructors to help me lift the organisation out of the doldrums. There were 5 of us, and Becky and her Father Tony were two of them. We began the Mayors Trophy and Mathew Fullham series, and began training with other counties and clubs.
One of our main ambitions was to send a team to the NSSA regatta. Becky was only 19 when she took on the arduous task of Race Team Manager. She has been performing this task for 5 years with commitment and hard work. A lot of what a race team manager has to do is not seen. It involves a lot of paper work, planning and meetings. Becky is a true unsung hero.
I am delighted that Becky is not leaving us altogether, but staying on as an instructor when she can, and taking on the task of running the web site. Thank you Becky for all your support and help over the years. - Colin
NSSA Regatta
Daily updates can be read here .
Race Training at Rutland Water 26-27 June 2010
The Cambridge team once again invited us to a race training weekend hosted by Rutland Water .
A great weekend was had by all, with some excellent coaching and sailing. This was a good opportunity for our sailors to experience larger waters and more boats on the start line. Glorious sunshine was also enjoyed by parents on the shore!
Many thanks to Cambrige and Rutland for making us so welcome, we look forward to going back.
Fundraising at Woodlands Garden Centre - 20 June 2010
LRYSA sailors, parents and helpers worked very hard packing bags, handing out leaflets and selling raffle tickets at Woodlands Garden Centre to raise money for equipment and spares. Thank you to all those that helped, customers who donated and to Woodlands for having us. For more information on the sailing courses we run for both adults and children please contact Colin Magee .
Sponsored Sail - 16th May 2010 - Press release
The Leicestershire and Rutland Youth Sailing Association have been struggling to raise funds in the present recession.
So on Sunday the 16th of May the youth racing team sailed for 12 hours none stop to raise money for the organisation. Youngsters from aged 10 to 18 and their instructors and some of the parents all had aches and pains at the end of it, but it was great fun especially as the weather was sunny and windy.
The event was organised by Colin Magee who also sailed the full 12 hours. Many sailors came in fancy dress including three boys in grass skirts.
The LRYSA hope to raise £2000.00 for their organisation which is a charity and relies on funding to take the racing team to national events to represent Leicestershire.
The young racing team had a hard weekend. They also had to race in the Mayors trophy regatta at Roundhills sailing club on Saturday the 15th May. The winners of that were Adam Parry in the advanced class Mathew Fullham memorial trophy, and Luke Rayner in the Mayors Trophy.
The LRYSA would like to thank the management at Bosworth Water Trust for allowing them to use the lake and facilities for the sponsored sail.
Level 1 and 2 courses are now available at John Merricks Lake.
Any one who is interested can contact Richard Friday on 01162985983
First Regatta - 25th April at Bosworth
What a great start to the season! 14 sailors took part in the racing, showing a high standard for the start of the year. Some who were newer to regattas also did really well to complete the tricky course. The weather proved pretty mixed and ranged between light winds and strong gusts. With added obstacles of photo boats and a family of ducklings, great fun was had by all (despite the start line crew being seen off the island by an angry goose...)
Birthday wishes went to Jordan, congratulations to Sam Brook for winning in the Matthew Fullham Memorial Trophy and Luke Rayner for coming first in the Mayors' Trophy. Full results are available here. We would like to thank Ellis Page Associates (East Midlands) Limited for kindly sponsoring the trophies.
Many thanks to all the volunteers as always, particularly those who have taken on new roles.
Photos will be available soon.
Becka Sharpe - half of the Race Team management double act.
Training with DYS 12th December
We have been invited to train with Derbyshire Youth Sailing, the first date is the 12th December. This is a great opportunity to develop your ability and sail on a larger water. Please let Rod or Colin know if you're interested in attending. More details will be available from Rod or on the DYS website here.
NSSA Topper Team Racing 3&4 October
Congratulations to the two teams who represented the LRYSA at Hollowell this weekend. We were really impressed with their standard of sailing, which improved dramatically over the two days. Saturday's strong gusts gave tricky sailing conditions, but on Sunday there were more tactics used.
The team racing was carried out in teams of three, racing against one other team at a time in a round robin style event. Team racing tactics are very different to those of standard racing and some of the rules are different. The aim is to get a winning combination of places, often using tactics to slow down opponents and get your team mates across the line first. Our sailors really got the hang of this on the Sunday.
The highlight of the weekend was the final race for our teams where they were drawn against each other. Some great tactics were used for quite a close run race! In the end the A team beat the B team, so well done Andrew, Sam and Jordan. Great sailing also by the B team Amani, Luke and James.
Congratulations also to Derbyshire Youth Sailing B team for retaining the Lancashire plate, and Worcester A for the overall trophy.
Many thanks to Northampton and Hollowell SC for the great hospitality we received. We're looking forward to taking a team to the team racing in Worcester next year.
Results can be found here.
Becka and Rod
2009 Series Winners
The overall winners for the 2009 series are as follows. Well done to everyone:
Matthew Fulham Fleet
1st Jonathan Cooper
2nd Andrew McEvoy
3rd Jordan Moretta
Mayor's Trophy Fleet
1st Luke Rayner
2nd James Rutherford
3rd Tom Haywood
Slow Handicap Fleet
1st Tom Jeffery
2nd Charlie Robertson
3rd Charlotte Heggs
Press release
The long awaited final in the Mayors Trophy Youth Sailing Regattas took place on sunday the 20th of September at Bosworth Water Trust near Nuneaton. The event is organised and run by the Leicestershire and Rutland Youth Sailing Association (LRYSA) 24 The best local sailors under 18 had entered the heats all through the summer to gain a place in the finals. The Mathew Fullham over 16 and the Mayors Trophy for the younger ones.
Sundays regatta was attended by the Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth Councilor Tom Wilson and the Mayoress Mrs Sonia Wilson, Also the the the mayor of Hinckley and Bosworth councilor Keith Nicholsand the Mayoress Mrs Lorna Nichols.
It was a lovely sunny dayas 15 youngsters took to the water in the Mayors Trophy final,also joining them in the racing was the Mayor of Hinckley crewing for Councilor Keith Lynch at the helm. The 2 Keiths didn't win the trophy, that was won by Luke Rayner aged 12 from Desford. In second place was James Rutherford and in third place Eleanor Craig. All the winners come from the localarea and race for the county and are under 14.
In the mathew Fullham memorial trophy (advanced over 16) There was a new winnerthis year. For the past 3 years it has ben won by Rob Cottrell. This year Jon Cooper is the winner of the top trophy..Close behind was in 2nd place Andrew McEvoy, and in third place Cheryl Kay Roberts.
The Mayor and Mayoress of Nuneaton and the mayoress of Hinckley also took to the water with the rescue crews in a power boat. Everybody had a great day.
Any enquiries about learning to sail no matter what your age. contact Colin Magee on 01455 619347 cmagee@talktalk.net
The Mayor's trophy and the LRYSA
The Mayor's Trophy sailing group has been set up to give open access to sail training in Leicestershire and the surrounding area.
As part of this programme, regattas are being held at various venues throughout the year. The aim is to enable children of all abilities to learn to sail and to encourage healthy competition against other young people in a similar ability range where they can have great fun and great achievement.
The Mayor's Trophy regattas are open to all novice sailors who have a basic sailing ability and know the basic rules of the road. The Mayor's Trophy regattas are particularly aimed at novice sailors, giving them racing experience against people of a similar ability and helping to develop them to move on to higher levels.
As ability improves, youngsters can move on through various routes to train and compete at County and National level. Trophies will be presented to the winners of the series at the final regatta in August.
Matthew Fulham Memorial Trophy
A separate series of races are being run for the youngsters who have outgrown, or out-raced, the Mayor's Trophy Series. The Matthew Fulham Memorial Trophy will be presented to the winner of the series at the final regatta in August. The entrants will race at the same time as the Mayor's Trophy Group but their results will be scored separately.
Leicestershire and Rutland Youth Sailing Association
The Mayor's Trophy Group is a sub-group of the Leicestershire and Rutland Youth Sailing Association (LRYSA).
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