For Junior Events, please visit the Junior Events page.
Calshot Junior sailor Karen Thomas sailed in the Volvo Musto World / European / French Team Selection Trials held at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy 20/04/2007 - 22/04/2007.
Friday saw 86 Optimist sailors participate in the first long weekend of the Volvo Musto Optimist World, European and French National Team Selection Trials.
The top five sailors will represent Great Britain at the IODA World Championships being held in Sardinia. The next 3 boys will compete at the IODA Boys European Championships in Greece and the top 3 girls in the IODA Girls European Championships. One more place is available to either a boy or a girl based on his/her ranking. The next 8 are eligible to attend the French Nationals.
After the light winds which plagued the RYA Youth Championships, the fleet arrived in Portland, wary of the weather forecast. Moderate wind on Friday with it being forecast to drop towards the end of the weekend.
The Optimist fleet was made up of the top 80 from the IOCA rankings and a few wildcard entries from the RYA Optimist Zone squads.
There are a few photos here, here, here, here and here!
Ian Thomas, 24th Apr 2007Congratulations to Calshot Junior Sailor Philippa Gray, who has been selected for the ITCA Junior Development Programme for 2007.
There are only 24 places in the 'top' RYA National Junior Squad, and the Junior Development Programme takes sailors who are at National squad level and age but did not get a place. There are only 15 sailors in the Junior Development Programme this year. The aim is to get these sailors into the National Squad next year.
There is a week long camp at Bradwell Outdoor Activity Centre in the first week of April, working on sea sailing.
Phil Gray, 10th Feb 2007This year saw the most successful Friday Club ever with almost 30 regularly coming along to the Friday evening sessions. Anyone interested in next years Friday Club sessions should keep checking this page for more information.
Karen & Danielle Thomas were among over 80 sailors aged between 6-16 who took part in Lymington's Salterns Sailing Club's annual 24 hour sponsored sail in aid of the BBC Children in Need Appeal on Friday 17th November. In the last 7 years, this event has raised £32,000.
The more experienced sailors sailed on the floodlit pond in shifts overnight & were joined by the less experienced members during the day.
For the full story, click here.
The Scouts recently received their badges in recognition of their progress in sailing at Calshot this year.
8 received the Basic Nautical Skills badge, gained after an exhaustive series of tests at Calshot in September, which ended with a 100m swim in the sea in full sailing gear.
2 received the Dinghy Helmsman Badge in recognition of their reaching the standard required for RYA level 2 dinghy sailing.
Karen Thomas has been selected for the 2006-2007 Optimist Development Squad.
After the Zone Squads, the Optimist offers a "Development Squad", a "National Intermediate Squad" and a "National Squad" with sailors progressing through as their talents develop. The Squads attend a series of usually 6 coaching weekends throughout the Winter, honing their skills with expert coaches.
The results of the Junior B race series have now been calculated. The top three places are as follows:
First - Thomas Rapson
Second - Simon Audoire
Third - Ben Oliver
September 18th 2006
The following report was published on the Southern Toppers web site...
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It was a cloudy day that met 35 competitors at Calshot, for the Southern Area Championships supported by NPower, with a F4/5 blowing, and a good Solent chop in place, it looked like it could be a tough day on the water.
The first race was cleanly away at 12:05. What was to be the pattern for all 3 races was quickly established, with the top half-dozen boats leading the bulk of the pack, with the younger sailors at the back as they struggled with the wind and waves. Race 1 saw James Spencer winning, with Peter McCoy second and Phil McCoy third.
The wind had eased a little as race 2 saw another good fleet start, with the leading group pulling away up the first beat. The conditions were made harder as the wind increased under the clouds, as race 2 was led home by James, Tom Walker second, and Peter third, with some close finishes through the pack.
The wind and waves had eased for another tight start for race 3. This led to closer racing, but a group of five boats pulled clear again. Race 3 was won by Phil, second James, and third Peter.
Calshot sailor Danielle Thomas and her Royal Lymington Yacht Club team mates achieved first place in a 'Save the Seas' poster competition held at the 2006 Optimist Nationals in Pwllheli in August.
The competition was sponsored by Volvo and the prize was a days coaching with top British Paralympic sailor Helena Lucas at Warsash in October.
This is the winning poster...
Congratulations are sent to the following cadets who have reached National and Zone Squad level for the winter of 2005/2006:
SAMANTHA GRAY - Topper National Junior Squad
PHILLIPA GRAY - Topper Zone Squad
KAREN THOMAS - Optimist Zone Squad
The 2005-6 RYA TOPPER National Junior Squad
Samantha Gray has been chosen for the Topper junior national squad for the second year running. This is one of the top squads in this country and only 24 helms can be selected!!
The Topper National Junior Squad places are offered at the discretion of the selection committee to helms who, in their opinion have demonstrated the most potential to win medals for RYA Team GBR at International competitions in the subsequent years.
RYA South Zone Squads
Karen Thomas has been selected for the Royal Yachting Association's Optimist South Zone Squad. This is a regional squad chosen from an area that extends along the south coast. Karen has done particularly well to be chosen, as the squad comprises only 24 sailors and competition was therefore very strong.
Phillipa Gray has been selected for the Royal Yachting Association's Topper South Zone Squad. This is a regional squad chosen from an area that extends along the south coast. Phillipa has done particularly well to be chosen, as the squad comprises only 18 sailors and competition was therefore very strong.
The RYA 'South Zone Squads' are for the most talented junior racing helms who may at present be sailing at club or regional level. The Zone Squad is the first stage on the RYA's Junior and Youth pathway, with the aim that zone sailors will move through the system and qualify for the National Squad within one or two years.
For 2005/6, the Squads train for six weekends, with a ratio of six boats to each coach boat. The training is based on a syllabus developed by some of the RYA Team GBR's leading coaches. It will provide a comprehensive range of coaching, training, off-water racing clinics and competition guidance. The training assists in selection to the National Junior Squad.
Congratulations to the 27 sailors who were selected to join the RYA National Junior Squad 2005-6, especially to Calshot Sailing Club, Junior member Sam Gray.
THE 2005-6 RYA National Junior Squad
Lynn Billowes (South West)
Julia Bowden (West)
Anna Brooks ( West)
Andrew Brown (West)
Freddie Connor (South East)
Rebecca Dawkes (West)
Martin Evans (West)
Heather Fox (East)
Samantha Gray (South)
Charlotte Greenhalgh (West)
Alex Groves (South East)
Gareth Henshall (Wales)
Emily Jackson (West)
Stephanie Lawrence (Scotland)
Phil McCoy (South)
Oscar McVeigh (South East)
Alex Mills-Barton (South East)
Bleddyn Mon (Wales)
Ben Palmer (South East)
Chris Penney (Northern Ireland)
Max Richardson (South East)
Max Robinson (South West)
Andrew Salt ( West)
Lawrence Sly (South West)
James Spencer (South)
Tom Weatherhead (East)
Konrad Weaver (ex Optimist National Squad)
Michael Wood (West)
Karen Thomas took part in the event organised by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club's Lymington Optimists on Saturday 9 July. Three Optimists helmed by a team of 11 sailors aged between 11 and 14 years old completed the voyage in 11 hours and 11 minutes, smashing the record of 13 hours 55 minutes set by Athens Olympic Medallist Nick Rogers in 1987.
Please refer to the press release for further information.
Sophie Shimell (10), who's a Junior member of Calshot Sailing Club, travelled to the London Boat Show in January 2004 to be presented with a prize after entering the RYA's national 'Logit' competition.
As part of the competition, Sophie produced a 'log' of her sailing experiences. This included accounts of training sessions, races and cruises with parents Alex and Rachel. These, along with drawings and photographs impressed the judges of the competition.
The RYA Logit competition is designed to encourage young sailors to think and write about their experiences. They have to show that they understand the mechanics of the sport and the importance of safety at sea. It encourages kids to get involved with their family sailing activities by completing their own log. Logs can include everything from recording the weather, time of day, and interesting events like the long distance race to Lymington. The competition is open to anyone between the ages of 4-7 and 7-11 and aims to get kids involved in good boating practises.
The awards were presented at a special prizegiving ceremony at the London Boat Show. Tony Bullimore handed out the trophies. Sophie was awarded 'Highly Commended' in her age group and was the only child from the area to enter the competition.
Sophie said of her experience; 'It was great fun going to the Boat Show and meeting Tony Bullimore. It took ages to produce the log and it was really good to be rewarded like this. And anyway, I got to get a day off school!'
Written by Rachel Shimell.