Sills Family Rule the Waves at RYA Youth & Masters
17th September 2007It was most definitely a family affair as the Sills siblings ruled the waves at the RYA Youth and Masters Windsurfing Championships at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy this weekend.
Fresh from his World Techno 293 title success in Spain earlier this month, big brother Sam Sills, 14, was in no mood to let his standards drop easing to gold with a clean sweep of seven races, seven firsts in the Bic Techno 6.8 class.
But with 11-year-old twins Imogen and Saskia also claiming the top of the podium for the Sills clan in their respective classes, the Launceston trio were left savouring a memorable golden hat-trick.
Saskia, the elder of the twins by 30 minutes, made it three National titles in a row as in sailing to fourth overall in the Bic Techno 5.5 fleet she took the girls’ crown.
And Imogen, who only took up the sport competitively two years ago, followed up the silver she won on her Nationals debut last year by taking the top prize in the girls’ Bic Techno 4.5 event this time out.
It wasn’t just the Sills family that enjoyed multiple tastes of the medals however.
Another Cornwall brother and sister combo, Daniel, Gemma and Adam Grayston took two silvers and a gold respectively back to Truro with them after their successes in the Windsurfer 6.8, Bic Techno 4.5 and Windsurfer 3.5 classes. Meanwhile their dad Paul took his Nationals bow in the Raceboard Masters fleet.
Newly-crowned Under 17 Techno 293 World champion Ali Masters, from Clevedon, moved up to the bigger RS:X class in his first competitive outing since his Spanish triumph, finishing an impressive fourth with Volvo Youth ISAF World Championship campaigner Richard Hamilton using all his expertise in heavier winds on day two to take the gold.
And 15-year-old Izzy Hamilton, from Holsworthy, showed she is more than capable of mixing it with the big boys claiming third overall in the Bic Techno 7.8 to win the girls’ title.
Macclesfield’s Adam Purcell impressed romping to victory in the Bic Techno 5.5, winning seven of his eight races and taking second in the other while West Kirby’s Oliver Bradley-Baker saw off strong challenges from Seb Cooper and Joash Knight to triumph in the hotly-contested Bic Techno 4.5.
Skandia Team GBR’s Olympic RS:X bronze medallist Nick Dempsey was on hand to present the trophies at WPNSA where Lindsay Smith, from Coventry, was presented with the Robert Cartwright Memorial Trophy for her outstanding attitude and progress throughout the year.