A COUPLE of teenagers from Draycote Water Sailing Club are celebrating double success after becoming national champions.
Draycote sailors Jess Powell and Hari Clark triumphed on the Olympic waters of Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy – the venue used at London 2012.
Powell won the topper 5.3 national championship for the second year in a row while Clark won the national championship in the topper 4.2 class after winning the world championship in the same class in Spain last month.
Draycote Water Sailing Club president, Jeremy Atkins, said: “This unprecedented double, together and separately, reflects their commitment to be the best they can be, the support of their parents and the set-up at Draycote Water Sailing Club.
“Four years ago the club set up its Draycote Academy to train sailors to compete at a high level. Since then, it has generated two world championship and three national championship wins in the Topper class.
“Neither Jess nor Hari come from sailing families – they have learnt to sail at Draycote Water Sailing Club and now reached the top of their sport.”
More than 150 young sailors took part in the week-long Topper National Championships, competing in the topper 5.3 class for larger/older sailors and the topper 4.2 for younger/smaller sailors.
Powell finished the qualifying series in fourth place but won four of seven races in the final series, never finishing lower than fourth, to take a huge lead and win the title.
The 14-year-old, who lives in Rugby and attends Rugby High School, was inspired to take up the sport after meeting Great Britain’s Olympic sailors at the Rio 2016 Games.
Powell said: “It was a brilliant six days of sailing in a range of conditions. I won by 10 points with a race to spare, which is amazing.
“This was my last Topper event and it’s great to finish on such a high. Thanks to everyone that’s supported me.”
Clark made a great start to the week, only finishing outside of the top three on two occasions in his first 14 races to establish a commanding lead.
The final five races proved more difficult, finishing as high as sixth, but his excellent displays earlier in the week saw him stay at the top of the standings.
The 13-year-old, who lives in Rugby and attends Lawrence Sheriff School, only took up sailing three years ago and started racing in 2022.
Clark said: “I’m super proud of what I’ve achieved and I’m grateful for all the support and coaching, especially from the Draycote Academy.
“Conditions at the National Championships became very windy, and as a smaller sailor this made my job difficult!. A high level of fitness was important to win this six-day event.”
Draycote Academy head coach, Steve Irish, added: “These brilliant results for Jess and Hari are a testament to the hard work they put in training over the winter months and it’s great to see that come to fruition with each of them achieving a national championship title.”
The club’s commodore, William Whittaker, added: “We could not be more proud of Jess and Hari and all our young sailors.
“They are true ambassadors of the club and the sport both nationally and internationally.
“Sailing tends to be focused more on coastal clubs but we are showing that you can be the best in the heart of the Midlands, miles from the sea.”
Draycote Water Sailing Club is the Royal Yachting Association’s Club of the Year in 2024. The club offers courses and activities for all ages, to find out more visit: www.draycotewater.co.uk
