on the water
RACING UPDATES Youth Nationals / eSailing
A closely matched field led to some tight finishes in the Match Racing final.
D
Race through winter in an online regatta
uring the pandemic, eSailing on Virtual Regatta has provided sailors of all
ages with a great opportunity to enjoy some competition. And taking part is simple. If you’d like to race as an individual, you can do so free of charge. Just visit the Virtual Regatta website or download the Virtual Regatta Inshore app and click ‘play now’. RYA clubs, training centres and other organisations can sign up for VIP passes and organise races and events for their members, for which there’s a small fee. ‘The popularity of eSailing
Close-fought final for Match Racing season
High winds and high excitement at Grand Final B
ad weather forced the cancellation of various sailing events this autumn. But in the case of the RYA National Match Racing Championship Grand Final, which went ahead in late October, the stiff breeze helped showcase some skilful sailing. Sixteen skippers took part, having
won their place through a curtailed qualification series or via wildcard invites. Racers were divided into groups to help with physical distancing, with some groups facing gusts of over 20 knots at Queen Mary Sailing Club in Middlesex. The racing was tight as spinnakers
were mostly kept firmly in their bags, but this kept things close as a short lead at the windward mark could be quickly eroded. Race officials kept a close eye on the weather, signalling when spinnakers could come out so the teams could really test their boat handling.
At the end of three days of close competition, which saw some matches decided on the finish line, Andy Cornah from the Royal Thames Yacht Club secured victory. After the final flight there was a four-way tie for second place, with Joe Burns topping the pile in second ahead of Robbie King in third, with Nick Cherry fourth and Christian Hamilton fifth. On receiving the Eacott Trophy for the National Match Racing Championship, Cornah thanked his crew as the real heroes of the weekend, helping him to secure the overall victory. The event was an exciting end to what’s been an odd year for Match Racing, and we’re now looking forward to the start of the 2021 season, which gets under way in January.
For more information on Match Racing visit
www.ryamatchracing.co.uk
continues to grow,’ says RYA Show and Promotions Manager Celia Edgington. ‘We’ve seen more and more players joining the online game, racing against friends, fellow sailors and in some cases Olympic champions!’ The eSailing World Championships begin in January, and the eSailing National Championships will be launched at the Virtual RYA Dinghy Show on 27–28 February 2021. Find out more at
www.virtualregatta.com/ en/ or view the eSailing video playlist on the RYA YouTube channel (
www.youtube.com/ user/RYA1875).
Visit
www.rya.org.uk/go/ esailing to learn more
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Photo:
Sportography.tv
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