British Youth Sailing’s debut Regional Junior Championships has been hailed an overwhelming success after more than one thousand youngsters took to the water this weekend.

© RYA / James Tomlinson

Children aged between six and 16 travelled from far and wide to eight venues across the UK for two days of fun afloat in British Youth Sailing’s recognised dinghy and windsurfer classes.

Among those taking part were some of the nation’s most promising young racers, as well as a host of kids getting their first taste of sailing.

The Regional Junior Championships were previously known as the RYA Zone Championships, but the decision was taken to change the name so as to truly reflect the nature of the regattas: a fun, inclusive festival of sailing for under 16s regardless of ability, but with a championship element for serious racers.

For the first time, competitors were split into three fleets – a new Fun OnBoard fleet for newcomers, a coached regatta fleet for those developing their racing skills and a championship fleet for experienced racers.