HRH The Princess Royal to attend the 2011 RYA Volvo Youth Nationals
The RYA Volvo Youth National Championships is to receive a royal boost with confirmation that HRH The Princess Royal is to attend this year’s event.
Her Royal Highness, who is President of the Royal Yachting Association, will visit Hayling Island Sailing Club on the afternoon of Wednesday 13 April, where she will witness racing at the RYA’s premier youth sailing event, and have the chance to meet some of the young competitors and event officials.
The 2011 RYA Volvo Youth National Championships will also be the first time that youth sailors from other nations have been invited to compete, which undoubtedly will add to the highly competitive and exciting environment. Teams are expected from a number of European nations and as far afield as New Zealand and the USA in what is hoped to become a major Championship on the international youth sailing calendar, which will bring our young sailors better and more cost effective competition experience on home waters.
The UK’s top youth racers will have the opportunity to impress as they compete against one another in what is set to be a fantastic week of racing.
Entries for the 2011 RYA Volvo Youth National Championships are open now up until midnight on Sunday 3 April – late entries cannot be accepted.
Racing will be held for boys in Laser Standards, girls and boys in Laser Radials and Neil Pryde RS:X 8.5, and for all-boy, all-girl or mixed crews in 420s, 29ers and Spitfire catamarans. Entries are being accepted online now at www.ryaracingevents.org.uk/youth/nats
RYA Youth Racing Manager, Duncan Truswell, commented: “The RYA Volvo Youth National Championships represent the start of the competition phase for our young sailors and offers them the opportunity to gain experience of a well organised major championship at one of the UK’s finest sailing venues.
“As you would expect we will employ all the rigour, formalities and processes that are associated with top level competition at this regatta and this makes the event unique as it both assists us to select and also helps to prepare the sailors who will represent RYA Team GBR at major international competitions during 2011 and beyond.
“I am particularly pleased to be once again welcoming Her Royal Highness to the event. Her attendance once again reaffirms the status of the regatta as one of the best sailing competitions staged in the UK, as well as being a fantastic showcase for our great sport. I am sure HRH will, as usual, be keen to get out into the thick of the action, and see our aspirant Olympic sailors battling hard to retain their places in squads and win selection for RYA Volvo Team GBR.”
Selection for RYA Volvo Team GBR – the team which will represent Great Britain at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Croatia this year – is up for grabs at the RYA Volvo Youth National Championships, as well as places to the European Sailing Games and many of the Youth Classes World and European Championships.
The Selection Policies for all these events, and the RYA’s Selection Policy for the RYA Volvo National Youth Squad can be viewed online at http://www.rya.org.uk/racing/youthjunior/squads/youth/Pages/Selection.aspx
17/3/2011 18:27
