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RYA National Team Racing Championships Finals - Preview
Author: Barney Smith
This weekend the finals of the RYA National Team Racing Championship will take place on the marine lake at West Kirby in Cheshire. Organised under the burgee of West Kirby Sailing Club by the UK Team Racing Association, the weekend represents the culmination of the 2001 Championship. Sixteen teams have qualified for the final weekend from eight qualifiers have taken place over the last five months across the country.
The finals weekend will consist of a round robin series of races to determine qualifiers for a knockout round whihc will take place on Sunday afternoon. A race takes place between two teams, each sailing a set of three colored boats. Races last under 10 minutes and include many mark roundings, giving a large number of opportunities for close quarters action. Every race is observed by RYA National Umpires who can be called in to judge rule infringements.
The two Great Britain teams for the this summers ISAF Team Racing World Championship to be held in the Czech republic, stand out as favourites from the list of qualifying teams. These two teams have
sharpened their team racing skills following a winter of intensive training, and will be looking to start the 2001 season in winning form. The GBR 1st team will be representing the Spinnaker Club in
Hampshire where all the team members are based.
The main challenge to the world championship teams is likely to come from the home club, West Kirby, who placed second in last years Wilson Trophy, the RYA British Open team racing championship, also held on the marine lake. However team racing championships are notoriously
difficult to predict. The two Irish teams, Royal St George and UCD Exiles, may spring a surprise. The three University sides, London, Durham and Cambridge have been practicing hard recently, whilst
preparing for the British Universities Championships to be held at the week before Easter. Club sides Felixstowe Ferry and Rickmansworth have long team racing traditions and the Spinnaker second team, normally known as Friends of Alice Lisle, contains previous winners of the National and World Championships. The only class association team to qualify, the Fireflies, should be used to the boats, as will Sennockian, a team associated with Sevenoaks School from Kent. The Band and the Hilbre Highlanders make up the finals line up, and either of these teams is capable of providing a few shocks.
Action is likely to be fast and furious and will start at 10am on Saturday.
More Information:
- YachtsandYachting.com Team Racing Page
- UK Team Racing Association
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