LOCAL sailor Matt Beck triumphed at the RYA South West Zone Championships last weekend, winning the Optimist class.

The 14-year-old who sails at Bowmoor Sailing Club, near Fairford was one of 245 youngsters to compete in the South and South West Zone competitions at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

Matt was delighted at having placed first in three of seven races, and second in another three to gain the prize, saying; “The zone championships for S/SW was a good event this year, with a mixture of light and medium wind conditions across the two days.

“It was also a great opportunity for some racing practice at Weymouth where we will have the Optimist class end-of-season championships in a couple of weeks’ time.”

There was added excitement on Sunday, September 27, when a large ship interrupted the racing and the race management had to shift the courses around it.

It was a windy day, with sailors launching in 15 knots. Chris Atherton, High Performance Manager, explained; “We were expecting some retirees from the races. However, the sailors coped really well and we were impressed by the high standard of sailing.

“The race management did an excellent job, the racing was very slick and we finished in good time.”

1,025 young sailors and windsurfers took the water up and down the country to take part in the RYA Zone and Home County Championships. The events gave the youngster the chance to experience big regatta racing without having to travel far from their home sailing clubs.

For more information and full results from the events visit sailracer.co.uk/events/event-v2.asp?eventid=201773