On Saturday 6th May, the first training sessions took place for the 2023 Youth Development keelboat squads. Now in it’s 30th anniversary year, the RPAYC Youth Development program provides opportunities for youth sailors to advance their keelboat handling skills and racing knowledge, and broaden their experience into more areas of yachting. 

The senior Youth Development squad (ages 15-23) were the first to hit the water on Saturday morning, with a solid first day of training from 7:30am to 3:30pm. Coached by Rob Brewer, this strong 18-person squad has a blend of YD sailors from previous years and new talent joining the squad from the Intermediate Youth Development program and other Centreboard classes. 

The sailors were thrown striaght into their intensive training program, making use of a light to moderate north-easterly breeze, to prepare for upcoming fleet and match racing events. First up is the Sailing Champions League Asia Pacific final to be held at RPAYC from 20-21 May 2023. RPAYC has 2 teams qualified and entered, skippered by Hugo Butterworth and Daniel Kemp. YD sailors will have the opportunity to represent RPAYC at various events throughout the year, including international match racing regattas. As well as this, the sailors have their own campaigns in dinghies and goals to compete in coastal and offshore yacht racing. 

You will see the senior Youth Development squad training on the water all day on Saturdays, and on Friday evenings in the RPAYC SailFit gym for some intensive team building fitness sessions. 

Also training weekly on Saturday’s is the Intermediate Youth Development squad. This program introduces the basics of keelboat crewing and handling skills, and for many sailors introduces using symmetrical and asymmetrical spinnakers. IYD attracts many new participants from other dinghy sailing clubs around Sydney, and participants of the school programs that are run at RPAYC. 

Coaching the Intermediate Youth Development program is RPAYC’s Senior Head Instructor, Niall Powers, and former Youth Development graduate and Racing Instructor, D’Arcy Kemp. 

Sailors in the Intermeidate Youth Development squad will be looking forward to racing in the Interclub Challenge series, which involves friendly racing at the four NSW clubs with a youth keelboat program: Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.