North Region Youth & Junior Championship 2025 at Ullswater Yacht Club
by Fiona Spence 26 Jun 07:33 NZST
21-22 June 2025
We had it all at Ullswater, heat, sun, (torrential) rain, wind, calm, thunder and lightning but nothing switched the smiles, sailing and socialising off at the North Region Youth & Junior Championships at Ullswater Yacht Club on 21 & 22 June 2025 organised by North East & Yorkshire Youth Sailing Association (NEYYSA) and Ullswater YC.
The event team finalised the last few details as competitors began to arrive on Friday afternoon to the beautifully prepared & organised site and by 7pm when registration opened the site was buzzing with sailors and parents meeting up and getting sorted.
Many club members worked together to bring new and less experienced sailors to the event and the number of fully loaded multi-stackers arriving accompanied by young and excited sailors bodes well for the future of regional Y&J sailing. It was also fantastic to see so many new parents signing up to volunteer at the event with support from an experienced buddy parent who had done the role previously, the organisers hope this will help transfer skills for the future.
Saturday morning saw all 195 U19 competitors registered, rigged and ready by 9am for the event briefing, the only thing that forgot to turn up was the wind so a postponement was posted for the championship fleet while the Rookie fleet made everyone envious by heading off on a paddle expedition under the expert eye of their experienced session team led by Harri Pullman. Competitors made the most of the hot sunshine and numerous paddle boards to stay cool in the shallows while we waited for wind. Regatta fleet sailors had a briefing with their coaches and then joined the champ fleet in the shallows.
By 11am the wind had filled and code flag D was hoisted for champ fleets and it was a fantastic sight to see all the boats launching from the club's front lawn and heading off to race. Principal race officer Ali Wood directed the Yellow course in Sharrow Bay whilst Blue course race officer Andy Young had the faster boats near Ravencragg.
Regatta fleet launched after the champ fleet and Race Officer Phil Smith took the fleet towards Pooley Bridge for some warm up exercises before getting into their race programme. The regatta fleet boasted a particularly stellar line of up coaches and support, with World Champions Graham Vials and Andy Tunnicliffe amongst the team supporting these new racers along with several national title holders and other highly experienced & successful regional racers.
With race 1 under way for all fleets, the wind began to build as forecast on the main course areas and competitors were enjoying themselves. Conditions were expected to stabilise for the afternoon across the lake and it was shaping up to be a fantastic afternoon of racing. Towards the end of race one an un-forecast storm arrived delivering massive waves and gusts in excess of 33knots. Racing on all courses was abandoned and AP over H was signalled. The professional and calm response by the event team to the unexpected storm meant all sailors were quickly accounted for and tallied ashore.
It was fantastic to see the sailors looking out for each other, supporting and helping less experienced sailors return to shore and waiting on the beach to help recover boats. Whilst the racing may not have delivered to expectation, the sailor's behaviours and attitudes more than made up for it. Additional to the 195 sailors, we also had three U19s assisting at the event on mark laying and rookie fleet sailing support, again showcasing the amazing attitudes of our young regional sailors.
Once hot sausage rolls had been handed out and sailors had shared their experiences with the coaches the tally was opened for another round of racing. The wind had unfortunately exhausted itself and after a lengthy wait with a mirror like lake, AP over A was hoisted and safety crews stood down. A frustrating first day sailing wise but a social and fun day together none the less.
Safety cover was provided for a mass paddleboard fun session for all competitors, there wasn't enough wind for the 420, 29er or wing foiling taster sessions. Once everyone was ashore and dry the Hoedown social started with a sausage sizzle BBQ for 240 people followed by line-dancing on the lawn as it was too hot in the clubhouse! Attendees made the most of the glorious solstice weather until the oppressive heat and humidity yielded a lengthy and torrential thunderstorm until the early hours.
Sunday morning dawned slightly overcast and breezy with overnight campers sharing stories of biblical rain, amazing lightning shows, rivers through tents, scared dogs (& people!) and damp sleeping bags over bacon rolls and tea. All this didn't dampen spirits and code flag D was hoisted just after 8.40am to get the fleet afloat promptly for class racing.
The race officers managed to get 4 races in with yellow course providing some thrills and spills at their gybe mark directly in front of the club house. Green fleet sailors, who were participating in their first major event, or moving up to the championship fleet from the regatta fleet were again supported on the water by the green fleet coaches who gave help and advice on the water.
The Regatta fleet team made the decision to not launch so regatta sailors went out on RIBs with their coaches to watch the racing and learn from the coaches' commentary and then went paddle boarding. Meanwhile, Rookie fleet had a blast in some double handers with their session leaders.
As the championship fleet returned to shore, the weather delivered its final gift of a massive rain and wind squall which soaked every parent helping on the beach to the skin and caused a lot of capsizes on the beat home. Again, it was fantastic to see the camaraderie and support offered between the sailors as they came ashore with trollies fetched and assistance offered; this alone demonstrated the success of the event.
As sailors and parents packed up and the RIB fleet was loaded onto trailers the event team sorted out the results and heard a protest. The clubhouse was standing room only for the prize-giving with some unlucky audience members outside in waterproofs peering through the windows!
The RYA Regional Volunteer Team Trophies for largest club participation were awarded to Budworth SC (NW) and South Shields SC (NE) with West Lancs YC (NW) and Yorkshire Dales SC (NE) receiving the largest % improvement in participation vs last year trophies. South Shields beat Scaling Dam SC to their trophy by a mere 3 miles on distance travelled!
NEYYSA endeavour awards and Green fleet coach awards were presented to a variety of sailors who had showed courage, perseverance and attitude across the weekend as well as Tide Design Studio medals and Magic Marine vouchers for the various class winners.
This is the second year NEYYSA has organised the event, increasing inclusivity by adding youth classes and a mixed handicap fleet to the event. It was a wonderful weekend of sailing, celebration and friendships, old & new. Despite the weather trying it's best to thwart the plan the overall event was a massive success and is testament to the enthusiasm and commitment to youth & junior sailing in the region from many volunteers.
NEYYSA would like to thank Ullswater YC for their hospitality, support and organisation as well as the many people within the region who helped organise, loaned equipment or volunteered at the event along with the event sponsors Magic Marine.
Information about all events organised in the region by NEYYSA are available at www.neyysa.org