Royal Lymington at the RS Feva XL National Championships
From 28th to 31st May young sailors from Royal Lymington Yacht Club competed in the RS Feva XL National Championships at Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy (WPNSA). In recent years, the Feva has been the world’s best-selling two-person sailboat. With 80 boats entered in the 2022 National Championships, the event would be a great warm up for the World Championships that will be taking place at WPNSA in July.
Sunshine and light airs prevailed on day 1, Saturday, picking up slightly with the seabreeze in the afternoon to enable three races. RLymYC's Mark Jenkins Jauma (with crew Alex Sydenham) finished 2nd in Race 1 and 3rd in Race 2, then RLymYC duo Nia Mecklenburgh and Harry Baddeley won Race 3!
Day 2 brought less wind and less sunshine, with two races managed between postponements. Mark and Alex managed another 2nd, Nia and Harry a 6th, taking them into the top 4 and top 8 boats respectively.
A long day 3 on the water enabled 4 races with far stronger wind, followed by 3 races on the final day. Congratulations to all RLymYC sailors, the final overall results were:
- 6th (3rd Boys) - Mark Jenkins Jauma (with Alex Sydenham)
- 11th (5th Mixed) - Nia Mecklenburgh and Harry Baddeley
- 21st - Emma Breese and Charlie Gatehouse
- 37th - William Bracey Davis and James Kennedy
- 67th - Alex Breese and Sienna Mordaunt
As well as a great event in a variety of wind conditions, the sailors had a fun time off the water with fellow Feva helms and crews from other clubs. The RS Feva XL class is really sociable, attracting sailors as they leave the Optimist and Tera circuits, many of whom get to know each other well over the winter months in the RYA Regional Training Groups (RTGs). The class provides a great introduction to double-handed sailing, with many sailors moving on to 420 or 29er afterwards.
Regular Feva training takes place throughout the year at RLymYC and sailors are encouraged to take part in the club’s regular evening races. The Club has four boats available for members to hire, which can be used for training or racing.
Find out more about Feva sailing with RLymYC