Connor wins top prize at the RYA Youth Championships and Trials

16th Apr 2008 @ 05:32:39 PM

sSs Team Rider, Connor Bainbridge, just grew to 6'1'' and 68kg. Not particularly important unless you are only 14 and a keen windsurfer on the Junior race circuit and most of your competitors weigh not much more than over half that.

So, time to move on up and try racing against the under 19's on the Youth race circuit and on Olympic one design race kit ('youths' use an 8.5 meter sail instead of the men's 9.5 meter!).

Pwllheli Sailing Club in West Wales was the venue for the 2008 RYA Youth Trials and Champonships and more than 200 windsurfing and dinghy sailors descended there over the easter holidays. Racing took place over 5 days and the windsurfers got in 9 races with wind speeds from 25 knots (gusting 35 knots) to 6 knots depending on the day. The race course was typically set over a mile off shore. With only 5 sessions on the kit before the event it was a steep learning curve.

Connors time sailing his RRD Wave and Freestyle boards in big seas paid off as it was short board skills that helped him survive in 25 knots with the 8.5 metre sail and a very mixed up 3 metre swell.

Connor finished 7th overall out of a fleet of 21 windsurfers and was awarded 1st in the independent sailor category. He was the 6th (and youngest) male windsurfer in the fleet.

Connor is also also sponsored by Surfstore and Grasshopper Porridge.

www.surfstore.co.uk

www.teamgrasshopper.co.uk

Connor - not on his race kit...