YOUNG sailors from Draycote Water Sailing Club have made waves by winning a national championship.
Millie Irish, 15, and Katie Byne, 16, claimed overall victory in their RS Feva – a two-person sailing dinghy – at a national Grand Prix championship on the south coast.
They beat 42 top-level youth and junior sailors from across the UK at the Hayling Island Sailing Club in Hampshire.
They were in fourth place overnight after four races on the sea in light winds, having scored a race win, a third, a 10th and an 11th.
Full-on breeze and tide for the second day of racing then saw the pair post a second place and another race win to claim the championship overall.
The duo are now ranked second overall nationally in the RS Feva class, following two Grand Prix events so far in the 2019-20 season.
Millie and Katie at Draycote Water with their boat. Picture by Paula Irish.
Millie, who lives in Thurlaston and is a pupil at Southam College, said: “We had a mixed first day and were hoping to get out in the big breeze on the second day to see if we could pull ourselves up the leaderboard.
“It was so windy the race officer was thinking about canning the racing, but luckily for us we went out and had two incredible races!”
Katie, who lives in Upper Boddington, added: “It was a great weekend because we finished top girls and beat all the boys as well!”
Visit www.draycotewater.co.uk for more information.
