The third round of the Holt RYA National Ranking Series at Weymouth is scheduled for this weekend

Racing will take place in the 470, Europe, Finn, Mistral, Tornado and 49er classes and, although some of the top names will be absent, it will provide a great opportunity for the newcomers to Olympic class racing to make an impression and win funding for participation on the international Olympic class circuit.

The 49er fleet should see great competition this weekend as not only is it the Ranking Series but also the final weekend of the RYA 49er Gold Series where the sailors have a chance to win part of the 4000 Euro prize pot. Currently leading the class are newcomers Tom Smedley and Dan Brown who will be hoping to leave Weymouth at the weekend with a little extra cash in their pockets.

Olympic Development Squad Manager Barrie Edgington commented: “coming so soon after Olympic qualification, for most classes this will see some of the top names absent. The upside, as we saw with Smedley and Brown in the 49er fleet last weekend, is that this presents a great opportunity for the younger or lesser known teams to shine and as such Weymouth will see very hot competition amongst the new faces looking to scoop the prizes.”

The race series is an open event and therefore anybody who sails an Olympic class boat can enter. Registration takes place from 1000 on the Saturday with the first race scheduled at midday, with a maximum of six races scheduled over the weekend.

After each event a Holt RYA National Ranking list will be compiled which will then be used to distribute grants and allocate entry places at International regattas. A full list of the current National Rankings can be found at .

Round four and five of the Holt RYA National Ranking Series take place over the weekends of the 1-2 November at Rutland Sailing Club for the 2.4mR, Europe, 470, Mistral and Finn classes, and 15-16 November at Warsash Sailing Club for the Tornado, Yngling, Europe, 470, Finn and 49er classes.