Sailors from our Intermediate Youth Development squad competed in the opening round of the 2021 Interclub Challenge. Round 1 hosted by Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club was a challenging start for the two RPAYC teams, with a very gusty and shifty breeze from the South-west, and a strong line up of competitors from CYCA and NCYC.
The Interclub Challenge is a fleet racing regatta for NSW clubs (RPAYC, RSYS, CYCA and NCYC) that have an Intermediate Keelboat Training program. Each club hosts a round with up to 6 races per day.
The RPAYC teams were led by Hugo Butterworth and Liam Parker. Despite both teams getting off to a shaky start with limited practice time in the Elliott 6’s, the sailors soon found their groove and were able to sail amongst the fleet. A couple of boat handling and tactical errors proved costly in the small and very competitive fleet. Nevertheless, it was a huge learning day for our squad and a great opportunity to put the new keelboat sailing skills into practice.
No doubt one of the most spectacular moments of the day was Hugo Butterworth and team pulling off a ‘port-tack’ start in the last race to cross ahead of the fleet!
Team RPAYC will be ready to bounce back at our home event next Sunday 6 June!
Our 2021 Intermediate Youth Development squad consists of 22 sailors – many of whom have just begun their journey on sailing a keelboat, using a spinnaker, and racing amongst a larger team.
Results HERE.
