Day 4 - RYA Youth Nationals 2014, HRH Princess Royal visits WPNSA
3,713 views · Published 17 April 2014 · 3:45 · Indexed 19 October 2026
Channel: Royal Yachting Association - RYA · 2014 · Sports
http://www.rya.org.uk/go/youthnats2014 Elliot Hanson has today (Thursday 17 April) been crowned RYA Youth National champion as racing for the Laser Standard came to a close, while the five other Youth racing classes battled against their peers on the penultimate day of racing. On arrival to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy sailors were greeted with a short postponement on shore before the expected sea breeze from the West filled in giving the 392 sailors an average10-15 knots to complete their full schedule of races. Adding to the importance of the day, the event played host to a royal audience as HRH The Princess Royal, President of the Royal Yachting Association dropped in on proceedings. The British Sailing Team's Elliot Hanson, 20 and from Macclesfield, has dominated the Laser Standard class from the word go, winning nine out of the thirteen races cementing his position at the top of the leaderboard from day one. Jack Wetherell had a great week and secured silver, whilst Welsh sailor Michael Beckett managed to hold on to the bronze medal from Henry Wetherell by a single point. "I won the race today which was a great ending to what has been a really good week of racing. I'm obviously really happy to win especially as it's my last Youth Nationals. I have competed at three of them in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and came fourth, third then second so to finish off with a first is great and a nice way to finish my UK Youth career," expressed Hanson. Following this event Hanson flies out to Hyeres, France with the rest of the British Sailing Team to compete at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres, which starts next week (21-26 April). "We only did one race today as myself, Jack [Wetherell] and Mickey [Beckett] have to fly to Hyeres tomorrow and the results overall couldn't change so we decided to come in rather than wait for the last race. Racing starts Monday (21 April), which is the third ISAF World Cup event of the year where we look to qualify for the ISAF World Championships in Santander in September - There are only five spaces up for grabs!"
