SAILING NEWS
News 14
Good news all round at the end of another successful season
JOHN Merricks II has enjoyed her first
season under the stewardship of the Volvo
RYA Keelboat Programme (VKBP) by fin-
ishing an impressive second in class in the
overall 2008 RORC series standings.
RYA keelboat
And the Programme has double cause for
celebration as 19-year-old boat captain Ben
Pym, from Cardiff, wa awarded the Duncan
Munro-Kerr Youth Challenge Trophy for the
youngest crew member on board a yacht
which finished in the top three of her class
in the Series.
sailors first
The John Merricks Trust-loaned TP52 had
her first run out under the VKBP banner at
the Red Funnel Easter Regatta in March,
claiming a respectable third place in her
Programme debut event.
As the Programme sailors grew ever more term delight
familiar with, and confident on, their new
boat so their results reflected that and JMII
clinched an impressive third place at the
P
Raymarine Warsash Big Boat Spring
ic
tur
Championship before taking her first line
e:
P
aul
honours victory in May’s RORC Cervantes
W
Trophy Race and then sealing her maiden
y
eth
overall event win a few weeks later in the
/
R
Y
RORC De Guingand Bowl.
A
Since 2005, the VKBP had enjoyed the use
of the Farr45 John Merricks for training and
competition purposes but the acquisition of
the high performance TP52 was intended to
help take the Programme, and the subse-
quent opportunities and incentives for the
sailors, to the next level.
David Atkinson, RYA Racing Services
Manager, believes the crew’s performance
in their inaugural season at the John
Merricks II helm shows the progressive
move is already paying dividends.
He said: “It has been a really great first sea-
son, the TP52 is such a technical boat to sail
it’s not just stepping up to a bigger boat but
a much more powerful machine and to have
been on the pace in the RORC Series is a
really good launchpad.
“The sailors have been working on the boat
and keeping it up together throughout the
whole season and it is a credit to them that
they have maintained it to a level which has
enabled them to go out and deliver the per-
formances they have done.”
JMII rounded off her debut season with
JOHN MERRICKS II: an impressive second in class in the 2008 RORC series standings.
two IRC Super Zero class victories in the
RORC Channel and the Cowes-Cherbourg
allist and Volvo Ocean Race skipper Ian He added: “Many of the sailors this season II second and Robby Milhench and Kenny
races and competed at Skandia Cowes Week
Walker and Volvo Ocean Race veteran and have done a lot of other big boat sailing and McCullough’ s Alburn (Volvo Ocean 60)
as part of the TP52 fleet.
Programme manager Nigel King. having the TP52 has certainly helped speed third.
Among the celebrated names of world sail-
With the announcement of the new mem- up the process of getting those sailors such Meanwhile, Pym will receive his Duncan
ing that have assisted the Programme sail-
bers of the Volvo RYA Keelboat Programme opportunities.” Munro-Kerr Youth Challenge accolade at
ors’ development onboard JMII this season
for the 2008-09 season imminent, Atkinson The Piet Vroon-owned Lutra 56 Formidable the RORC Annual Dinner and Prizegiving
are World-renowned Vendee Globe skipper
says there is much to look forward to over 3 finished top of the RORC 2008 Series’ at the De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel,
Alex Thomson, double Olympic silver med-
the winter for the sailors. IRC SZ class standings with John Merricks Southampton on Saturday 8 November.
Brits make world sailing award shortlist
OLYMPIC sailing stars Ben Ainslie, Sarah Ayton, Sarah golds from the past three Games to add to his silver from only two winners – one female and one male World Sailor
Webb and Pippa Wilson, and World Match Racing the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. of the Year.
Champion Ian Williams have been shortlisted for Great Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson were strong Ayton, Webb and Wilson find themselves nominated along-
Britain at the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the contenders for the world sailor of the year title in 2007, but side 470 Olympic Champions Elise Rechichi and Tessa
Year Award. have continued their dominance in the Yngling class for a Parkinson (AUS), match racing World Champion Claire
Launched in 1994, the awards are recognised as the pinna- second year, in which they’ve won a second consecutive Leroy of France, four-time Olympic medal-winning wind-
cle award a sailor can receive in recognition of his or her World Championship title, European Championship gold surfer Alessandra Sensini (ITA), and Laser Radial Olympic
outstanding achievements by the world of sailing. plus a string of podium finishes at Olympic Classes regat- Champion Anna Tunnicliffe (USA).
Skandia Team GBR’s Finn sailor Ainslie and Yngling trio tas. Other male nominees include record-breaking round-the-
of Ayton, Webb and Wilson cap off the nomination period The trio achieved their ultimate goal of Olympic gold – a world sailor Francis Joyon (FRA), Olympic gold medal-
as the proud holders of all three major titles as Olympic, second straight Olympic title for Ayton and Webb – at the winning windsurfer Tom Ashley (NZL), and Farr40 world
World and European Champions in their in their respective Games in Qingdao to round off the nomination period. and European Champion Vincenzo Onorato (ITA).
classes, while Ian Williams became the first Brit ever to The 31-year-old Ian Williams became the first British sailor The ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs) - the
become the ISAF World Match Racing Champion. to ever to win the ISAF World Match Racing Championship national governing bodies for sailing - around the world will
Ben Ainslie remains unbeaten in the Finn class since 2004, last November, thanks to his victory at the final event of the now be invited to vote for the one female nominee and one
and during the award nomination period, the 31-year-old world tour, the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia. Williams and his male nominee whom they feel deserves the honour of
won Grade 1 events in Sydney and Melbourne, the Princess Team Pindar followed that up with a strong start to the 2008 receiving the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award
Sofia Trophy in Palma and the European title as well as World Match Racing Tour, where they were topping the tour 2008.
clinching an unprecedented fifth world title at the Finn Gold standings at the end of the nomination period thanks to The winners will be unveiled at the ISAF Rolex World
Cup. some consistent results including a win at the Danish Open. Sailor of the Year Awards Dinner and Presentation on
By securing Olympic gold in Qingdao, Ainslie has also Five male and four female crews have been shortlisted for Tuesday 11 November 2008 at the Quinta de Jarama,
become the greatest ever British Olympic sailor with three the ISAF Rolex World Sail of the Year award, but there are Madrid, Spain.
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