Silver in the 29er Youth World Championships!

Congratulations to Club member Santi Sesto Cosby and crew Leo Wilkinson on becoming silver medallists in the 29er skiff at the Allianz Youth World Sailing Championships.

The Youth Sailing World Championships took place at The Hague from 10th to 15th July 2022. Considered the stepping stone to the World Sailing Championships, the Youth World Championships sees male and female sailors up to the age of 19 years compete at an exceptionally high level. One entrant is selected per country to compete in the following events: male windsurfer (iQFOIL), female windsurfer (iQFOIL), male one person dinghy (ILCA 6), female one person dinghy (ILCA 6), male/mixed two persons dinghy (420), female two persons dinghy (420), boys' skiff (29er), girls' skiff (29er), mixed multihull (Nacra 15) and kiteboarding (Formula Kite).

RLymYC 29er at the Youth World Sailing Championships

All eyes at Royal Lymington Yacht Club were on Team GB's entry in the boys' skiff. Club member Santi Sesto Cosby and crew Leo Wilkinson were delighted to be selected for the Youth World Sailing Championships after winning the RYA Youth National Championships in April.

Santi and Leo jostled between 3rd and 2nd place during the week after the Argentinians won three bullets on the first day. Lighter conditions prevailed at the start of the week, with rougher seas and stronger wind filling in on the penultimate day - mixing things up nicely for the boats used to sailing in more challenging conditions!

Santi Sesto Cosby said, "I’d like to thank the Royal Lymington Yacht Club for all their support - enabling us to sail every weekend and providing a RIB, as well as the really amazing coaching sessions we had with RLymYC Head Coach Hugh Styles and also with Kirstie Unwin. It’s been an incredible year and we have come so so far since we started sailing together in January. Also, I would like to thank the RYA and all the coaches, as well as Lymington Town Council (especially Cllr Jacqui England) and obviously to my Mum and Dad for their endless support and encouragement."

Junior and Youth Head Coach at RLymYC, Hugh Styles, said: "It is fantastic to see Santi and Leo win a silver medal at the Youth World Sailing Championship. In six months they have gone from being a new pairing, to winning the RYA Youth Nationals and now this success.

It’s been my pleasure as the Head Coach of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, to work with them on this journey. I’ve been impressed by their passion for their sport, their dedication and their commitment to learning every single day. Looking forward to seeing more from this dynamic duo in the future."

Junior and Youth sailing at RLymYC

Youth and junior sailing has for many years been a strong and important part of Royal Lymington Yacht Club. We have a long tradition of encouraging young people into sailing and developing their skills. Our aim is to provide many opportunities for young sailors to develop their skills towards competitive racing and a lifetime of boating enjoyment. A few aspire to the pinnacle and thus far seventeen Olympians have started as RLymYC Juniors, with many others achieving success in National, European and World Championships.

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Photo credit: Sailing Energy