Congratulations - Mari & Sarah

Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club members Mari Davies and Sarah Norbury have qualified to represent Britain in the 420 Worlds in Valencia as well as the Junior Europeans in Pwllheli this August.   Well done.

The 420 Spring Championships in Pwllheli was the 3rd and final event in the International Selection series. Mari and her partner, Sarah Norbury, were in 5th place in the GBR girls rankings entering the final weekend. Saturday was a glorious spring day, blue sky and 10 knots of breeze on the race course near Abererch.

The girls started impressively with two 5th place finishes out of a mixed fleet of 36 boats. Their best result came in race 3, a 3rd place. They finished the day with a respectable 8th in the final race and came ashore with big smiles. The results placed them in equal 5th position (2nd girls) at the end of day 1.

Overnight, a low pressure system built bringing rain and 20+knots. It was a day to dig deep and limit the damage as a number of the heavier and more experienced sailors came to the front of the fleet. By the final race a third of the fleet had retired. The hard work paid off and the girls maintained the 2nd girls placing, slipping back to 8th in the overall championship results.

When the results from this weekend were added to the selection series results, the girls were in 9th place overall (4th girls) - a fantastic achievement in their first year in the youth class, that assured them of a place in the GBR team for the World Championships in Valencia and the Junior Europeans on home waters in Pwllheli.

The next few months will see them training hard with the RYA Youth squad in Weymouth and Pwllheli before heading out to Valencia in July to prepare for the World Championships.

Although the RYA provide coach support for the events, the sailors have to fund all travel, boat transport, accomodation and entry costs. On top of the significant regular cost that the girls incur travelling to events and training, each of the girls will need to contribute approx. £3,000 to acccept their places in the international events. If any local companies, organisations or individuals are able to support the girls in their campaign they would be hugely grateful . Any potential sponsors can contact Mari’s parents via e.mail- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone - 07811 333320.

Photographs by Alan Dop.