Photo – Louie receives his award from Roger Belton.
The bursaries provide modest financial support to help young sailors fulfil their recognised racing or coaching potential. In return, recipients pass on their experience and enthusiasm to help inspire others through their club and regional training events.
Louie at Felpham and beyond
Louie (14) is in his third full season at Felpham Sailing Club (FSC), has started stage 4 in the RYA youth Sailing scheme and also completed the start racing syllabus. He has represented the club at the West Sussex Schools Sailing Association event two years running in a RS Tera Pro dinghy where he achieved a second and fourth place and helped his club to win the event both years.
This season he competed in the Southern Traveller Series, going as far as Northampton for the start of the season race. Winter training was also attended at Emsworth at the beginning of this year.
Louie has been racing at his club every Friday on cadet night and is also a regular at Skills Saturday. He has been racing on Sundays under the coaching of Jack Miller, Tim Hulse and the watchful eyes of Paul Miller and Roger Belton.
Having now grown out of the Tera he has recently moved up to a Laser 4.7 dinghy and his new journey has begun. With this move the costs will increase with boat hire and travelling further for training; the bursary will help with this.
Contributing
The awards depend on the winner’s commitment to contribute to their club or class association. Louie is always keen to help out at the club and is happy helping the younger cadets with rigging and answering questions they have.
Why Louie was nominated
In nominating Louie for the award, Roger Belton, RYA regional team chair, said: “Louie has enjoyed three seasons of sailing and racing at FSC. He rapidly found that he enjoyed the challenge of racing and has soaked up any race training available at Felpham, Emsworth and elsewhere.
“He has demonstrated a desire to improve his skills and also travel to events away from home. FSC has supported Louie by providing a Tera dinghy on permanent loan for a nominal fee and also helped with supply of good quality loan wetsuits. This support has been very much appreciated by his family. He is now too big for a Tera so he is going to use one of the club’s three John Merricks ILCA dinghies over the winter and in the season ahead.
“Louie is a very bright positive young person who puts a lot back into the club. I fully expect that he will be aiming to become an RYA Dinghy Instructor and Race Coach Level 2.”
Photo – Louie on the water
From Louie
Louie said of receiving his bursary: “I am so happy to have been chosen for this award, and thanks to everybody Involved in helping me in my sailing, It’s nice to be recognised and supported for something I love doing.”
From the Youth Training Fund
Dave Ellis, Chair of the RYA London and South East Youth Training Fund, says: “It’s fantastic for young sailors to be able to experience a range of opportunities, both in the UK and internationally, during their development as they learn so much. But the costs of travel, accommodation, food etc. all quickly mount up and the bursaries provide some assistance to our young sailors as they develop their sailing careers”.
“We have an abundance of talent in the region and we want to give our young sailors, whether destined for ‘podiums’ or as coaches, the best chance to realise their ambitions.”
