Youth-Sailing Articles
December 30th, 2025 marked a major event in the world of youth sailing as a wave of young talent descended upon Draycote Water for a thrilling competition. The Draycote Water Sailing Club Youth Open Meeting saw over a hundred eager sailors, all showing an astounding level of skill and determination.
The enthralling one-day event, sponsored by Fernhurst Books, featured fierce competition across four single-handed classes. The classes included Optimist, RS Tera, Topper, and ILCA, with battle cries resonating across the water as youthful sailors went head-to-head.
With an ideal north-easterly breeze setting the stage, the competitors, each battling within different classes, immersed themselves in the heady thrill of a cold but enthralling day of back-to-back races. The event drew commendable entries, with the overall victory in the ILCA 4s being claimed by Callum Marshall from the east coast club Blackwater SC, while Draycote Water’s own Toby Turner secured second place.
A perfect storm of holiday cheer and ardent competition, Waldringfield Sailing Club’s Christmas Eve team race erupted against a backdrop of rattling windows and gusty winds, as an obscenely brisk chill swept in from the Siberian wastelands. Yet, it was precisely this daunting weather that lent the event a particular twist, making it as exhilarating as unwrapping a coveted gift.
Despite the temptation to seek refuge under warm blankets, the fervor for sailing ran high. Ribs were launched amid shivering temperatures, all thanks to the raw enthusiasm and indomitable spirit of the sailors, particularly the younger participants. Youth racing member, Angus, declared the conditions ‘more or less sailable’, and so, wrapping their resilience around them like cloaks against the wind, the participants forged ahead.
