Charlotte Dobson (Helensburgh, Scotland) returns home from the Laser Radial Youth World Championship which was contested at Vilanova near Barcelona with a slightly unexpected but well deserved bronze medal to cap an excellent overall performance from young and promising sailors from the Team GBR Volvo RYA Youth Squad.

Breezes were predominantly gentle with the exception of the final day which saw a settled 18-22 knot gradient breeze arrive to re-shuffle a form book established over the four previous days of competition. Best placed of the boys was Lymington’s Dominic Hutton who finished in 11th place, while Andy Brooks (Manchester) finished 13th overall and in 15th overall Nick Thompson (Lymington) completed the Team GBR Volvo Youth Squad tally of four young sailors in the top 15.

Overnight into the final day’s racing Stephen Broom (Ringwood, Hants) was lying ninth having excelled himself with a very consistent and mature 5,3,16,6,6,3 scoreline but in the brisker winds of the final day he suffered with a 37,48,42 to finish 23rd overall.

Over the course of the whole regatta Charlotte Dobson, Joe Henry (Guildford) and Andrew Brooks all scored individual race wins. As New Zealand’s Michael Bullot won the overall Youth Laser Radial title to lead the Kiwis to an overall win in the team event the sailors from Team GBR Volvo RYA Youth squad finished second nation.

The first day of racing was contested in a light gradient breeze which produced a maximum of eight knots, thereafter the following two days suffered still more seriously the effects of the huge anticyclone over the Med with only a very light thermal breeze. Indeed so light were the winds that the scheduled fourth day of racing was lost to near complete calm. Only on the final day did a more serious 18-22 knots of gradient breeze return to give some more physical racing.

“Overall this has been an excellent showing from a very young team.” Concluded Team GBR Volvo RYA Youth Squad’s Laser Radial coach Ian Clingan. “Charlotte’s result was way beyond our expectations but she is a fantastic prospect and sailed exceptionally well and with the ISAF Youth Worlds being sailed in Byte dinghies next year I can foresee some excellent racing between her and this year’s bronze medallist Natalie Lloyd as they compete to represent GBR. Otherwise there have been some very promising performances from our sailors here, most of whom are very young and will do very well with more international championship experience.”

Overall Results

1, M Bullot (NZL) 29pts

2, G Iason (GRE) 37pts

3, A Monteau (FRA) 48pts

Other British

11, D Hutton (Lymington) 94pts

13, A Brooks (Manchester) 98pts

15, N Thompson (Lymington) 104pts

23, S Broom (Ringwood, Hants) 118pts

26, J Gray (Guildford) 128pts

32, E Green (Glamorgan) 140pts

34, J Henry (Guildford) 148pts

47, J Tilley (Restonguet, Falmouth) 179pts

58, C Dobson (Helensburgh, Scotland) 214pts

Girls

1, K O’Brien (NZL) 170pts

2, K Weir (AUS) 198pts

3, Dobson 214pts