After careful consideration and a gruelling selection process for some, the members of RYA team GBR that will attend the ISAF World Sailing Games, Marseille, France, have finally been selected.

In accordance with the selection process the following sailors will attend the ISAF World Sailing Games 2002 from the 29 June – 10 July:

470 Men Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield/Graham Vials and Dan Newman

470 Women Josie Gibson and Saskia Clarke/Helena Lucas and Jenny Heeley

Hobie 16 Male/mixed Mark Farrow and Steve Ward/Stoddard Lance and Natacia Cuenoud

Hobie 16 Women Ellen Foreshaw and Jenny Deys/Kami Marshall and Helen Scott

J/80 Men Paul Brotherton, Magnus Leask, Simon Russell and TBC/Ian Williams, Mark Nicholls, Mark Williams and Joe Llewelyn

J/22 Women Cordelia Ellis, Sarah Webb, Cailah Leask and Sarah Allen/No second entry

Laser Men Ed Wright/Jim Taylor

Laser Radial Women Nicky Muller/Katie Archer

Bic Techno Formula Men Alan Jackson/Guy Solven

Bic Techno Formula Women Helen Cartwright/Christine Johnston

Two entries are allowed per class and the selected team GBR sailors have come through a series of selection races ranging from national qualifiers to international events, with the final sailors decided by the RYA World Sailing Games Committee.

The World Sailing Games were first introduced by ISAF in 1994 with the idea that the best sailing competitors in the world would meet every four years in a spectacular display of skill. This year will be no different with 58 Countries already registered.

In order to allow the largest number of nations to take part, the World Sailing Games organisation supplies all the competing boats. The Opening Ceremony takes place on Saturday 29 June, with the racing commencing on the 2 July though to the 10 July. Four races are planned per day with the expectation that windward/leeward and trapezoid courses will be sailed. There will be five separate race areas, with the sailboards and catamarans sailing close to the shore, the double-handed and single-handed dinghies sailing offshore and the keelboats to the north of the bay area. Racing should be exciting as Marseille is know for it tricky conditions, and sailors could see everything from light breezes to full blown Mistrals.

RYA team GBR will be competing for a world championship title and medal as well as hoping to take home the Kings Trophy, awarded to the top scoring nation. The John Merricks trophy will also be awarded to the winner of the double-handed male discipline. The late John Merricks, sailing with Ian Walker, won this event in La Rochelle in 1994, which was their first major regatta win in the 470 class, and the John Merricks Trust have donated this trophy in his honour.

Barrie Edgington, RYA National Racing Coach and ISAF World Games Team Manager commented, “For this unique event we have put together a team which in several classes will be fighting out for individual honours, but there is also a degree of the unknown with the windsurfers jumping from open formula onto a one-design and the keelboat teams, although experienced, stepping onto the provided ‘J’ boats with relatively little experience of the class. Even so, we must consider ourselves in the running for the overall team prize.

“With its world title status, the event has added interest for the GBR sailors in the 470 and Laser class as a good result here could be used as a justification for a move up the world class status ladder.”