Youth Stepping Up………
Joel Beashel has been nominated for the NSW youth sailor-of-the-year awards, a recognition that reflects his outstanding performance in the recent sailing season. Beashel, at just 17 years old, made history as the youngest skipper to win the national 16s title aboard IMEI at Hervey Bay and was also part of the triumphant CYCA team at the Youth World Match Racing Championships in Saudi Arabia last December.
The winner will be announced at the St George Sailing Club this Saturday, with the national awards set for November. Beashel, currently competing at the 52 Super Series regatta in Sardinia, will be represented by his mother Lanee at the presentation. Regardless of the outcome, he considers the nomination a win for the entire Manly 16ft Skiff Club.
Beashel stated, “The club’s been very supportive of me and my sailing in the 16s and also outside of the 16s and that’s definitely been a big help. It’d be really cool to win this award as NSW is such a competitive state for sailing, not only for me but the club in general. They do so much for junior sailors and hopefully this nomination encourages everyone who is coming through.”
In further showcasing the talent within the youth ranks, skipper Zoe Dransfield led Red Pumps Red (RPR) to a victory and a second-place finish in the first two races of the 16s’ short course pointscore series on Saturday. In light easterly winds, RPR secured a 48-second win over Buckingham Marine, with Canberra Airport (formerly Imagine Signage) finishing third.
In the following race, Canberra Airport, skippered by Archie Cropley, along with crew Max Paul and Tom Cunich, managed to turn the tables and finished ahead of RPR and Buckingham Marine. This new trio is already making their mark, sailing 49ers and 18s together prior to joining the 16s fleet.
Dransfield reflected on the day’s performance: “We were super happy with how we went. We had two shocking starts and just needed to get into a really good groove on the upwind to catch up. The wind was light and shifty, there was a decent swell with chop, and it was a very competitive fleet. It was also super exciting seeing Canberra Airport perform well on their first weekend sailing together in the 16s. They’ll definitely be a boat to watch this season. We’re keeping it pretty low-key again this year with no real expectations apart from improving on our result at the nationals (7th).”
The 16s fleet continues to flourish, bolstered by the promotion of 13s graduates like Liam Karunaratne (Aristocrat), Tom Cameron (Buck & Simple), and Hugh Skeen (Nozomi). Additionally, former Flying 11s competitors are stepping up to the 13s ranks, with teams such as Modern Concepts (Meg Bates/Rosa Crawford), QED (Beau Dransfield/Toby Williams), and Texco (Angus Griffin/Ewan Darlow) making their presence felt.
In the 13s category, specialists Sophie Hart (IMEI) and Heidi Bates (Harken) each secured a victory in Saturday’s short course races.
WORDS – Adam Lucius
Photos – Manly Skiffs
#Manly16s #YouthSailing #AustralianSailing #SailingCommunity
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