DOZENS of young sailors from all over the North set sail on Ullswater in the first British Youth Sailing (BYS) Regional Junior Championships at the weekend.

Organisers at Ullswater Yacht Club were expecting an entry of around 100 boats in the new-look event – and were delighted when a total of 168 boats took to the water.

They were among thousands of youngsters who took part over the weekend in a countrywide celebration of sailing at eight regional junior championships which saw youngsters aged from six to 16 enjoy two days of fun afloat.

Among those taking part were some of the nation’s most promising young racers, as well as a host of kids getting their first taste of sailing.

Competitors were split into three groups – a new fun fleet for newcomers, a coached Regatta fleet for those developing their racing skills and a championship fleet for experienced racers.

At Ullswater, the championship fleet sailed seven races over two days in demanding conditions, said event organiser David Clarke.

“It was a huge undertaking for the club and we relied heavily on volunteers to make it work. We are grateful to these club members who gave up their own time to enable us to host this prestigious event.”

The club has a thriving youth and junior sailing programme and a total of 29 UYC sailors took part, winning the trophy for the club with the most entries.

Fleet winners were:

Championship. Topper, Leah Fidling, Chester SC. Optimist, George Creasy, West Kirby SC. RS Tera, Teddy Dunn, Isle of Man SC. RS Feva, Felix and Theo Stewart, Windermere School.

Regatta. Topper, Rhys Fidling, Chester SC. Optimist, Elizabeth Shilling, Derwent Reservoir SC. RS Tera, Thomas Whitehead, Filey SC.

Ends

Captions.

1. 2.3. Action from the racing on Ullswater. By Phil Burrage

4. Emily Burrage with the trophy won by Ullswater Yacht Club for the most entries in the Regional Junior Championships. By Jon Abbatt