LASERS PERFORM WELL AT THE RYA 2020 YOUTH NATIONALS e-SAILING.

Silver Medal Placing to Max Steele from our Laser 47 fleet

During the Coronavirus Lockdown many sailors have taken to online e-sailing using VirtualRegatta.com. Apart from being fun, the platform is used by thousands of sailors around the world in various classes. The software is also helpful to test and fine tune regatta tactics. It features crowded start lines (depending on the actions of competing sailors), port-starboard biases, different wind pressures and directions at different parts of the course, wind shifts and shadows, boat handling decisions including tacking, gybing, course directions and angles, mark lay-lines and roundings, and for some boat classes, the timing of spinnaker hoist and drop decision making. This all takes place in the presence of and against live competitors subject to a practical albeit not perfect implementation of the racing rules of sailing.

Not ones to be beaten by the virus, the RYA replaced the 2020 Youth Nationals with an e-sailing event on the virtual regatta inshore platform. With over 150 competitors from various fleets, the event consisted of 48 qualifying races, a semi-finals with two flights, and then a finals with the top 10 ranking sailors.

Three UKLA youth squad sailors made it to the finals:

Joe Drake (the 2019 Laser Standard Youth Champion)
James Foster (the 2019 Laser Radial Youth Champion)
Max Steele (winner of various titles in the RS Tera fleet and newcomer in the Laser 47 squad)

Other sailors included:

Terry Hacker (the 2019 RS Feva Champion)
Blake Tudor (multiple titles in the RS Tera's and RS Feva fleets, and currently campaigning in the 29'er fleet)
Jack Lewis (former RS Tera World Champion, RS Feva European champion, and GBR 420 sailor)
Dan Meadowcroft (multiple national title holder from the the National-12 fleet)
Mike O'Donavan (Scottish RS 200 champion)
Ted Lane (GBR 29'er); and
Isabelle Waha (former GBR Optimist and now 420 and SB20 sailor)

The quality of the lineup for those that made it to the finals is an indication of the sailing tactical skills needed to perform well.

A sunny and windy day - Champagne sailing conditions prevailed in both the real and virtual worlds.

A brilliant format which involved sailing J-70's in the first race, 49'ers in the second, and 10 America's Cup F50's in the third race, not something that one would see every day in the real world. So a real spectacle indeed, in a virtual setting of Portsmouth Harbour. Scores were reset to zero at the start of the finals, and all three races were to count (ie no discards).

The first race did not go well for the Laser sailors. James and Max both had reasonable starts but suffered punishing mistakes which lead them to finish the first race in 6th and 7th place respectively, with Joe in 9th. The first race went to Terry Hacker from the RS Feva fleet and Jack Lewis from the 420 fleet.

The second race involved 49'ers. James and Max both pulled a strong come back to place 2nd and 3rd respectively, behind Dan Meadowcroft (National -12 fleet).

The third and final race involved 10 F50's on the water, with the same course design as in the America's cup and sail-GP series; ie a reaching start, followed by a windward-leeward but in the virtual Portsmouth Harbour. Max Steele and Joe Drake's tactical skills were on full display to climb from reasonably strong starts into 2nd and 3rd place respectively, behind Mike O'Donavan (Scottish RS-200 champion). Things did not go as well for James in the last race, who finished in 10th place.

This meant that the overall finals went to Terry Hacker (gold), followed by Max Steele (silver) and Mike O'Donavan (bronze). James Foster ended the event in 6th place and Joe Drake in 9th. Congratulations to all, but especially Terry, Max and Mike.

The event was streamed live on youtube with GBR 470 Olympian Luke Patience commentating. It can be relived here

Many thanks to the RYA's Jonny McGovern for serving as the perfect race officer for the event.