A grant from the RYA has enabled Ross Clark (18) from Winchester with his crew Richard Deyes (18) to compete against world class sailors at the recent Eurocat Regatta.
In France, the Hobie catamaran is a very popular boat and the Eurocat, held in Carnac, attracted over 300 entries. A member at Weston sailing Club, Ross has only been sailing the Hobie for 18 months, having graduated from a Laser Radial.
After two days' racing, the newcomers finished an impressive 9th in their class out of 52. The third day involved a race around the Isle de Houat - their first long-distance course where they were out on the water for over 5 hours.
Having been selected for the Volvo RYA National Youth Squad at the recent trials in Weymouth, most of Ross' weekends will involve training under coach Brian Phipps' keen eye.
The next major event will be the Hobie European Championships in Holland this August.
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