The 12th annual British Universities sailing Association Yachting Nationals began today at Gunwharfe Quays, Portsmouth. In a regatta spanning four days, more than 250 students from 28 British teams will compete for a place in the forthcoming World Championships to be held in France.

The students are competing in a fleet of Jeanneau Sunfast 37s on loan from Sunsail, the main supporters of the event. The Royal Ocean Racing Club, under it’s Griffin team set up by its members to aid in the development of young sailors, will be in charge of organising the courses.

The regatta kicked off this morning with a training session, which will be followed by the first race in the afternoon. On Tuesday and Wednesday there are 12 races scheduled with a mixture of windward/ leeward and triangular courses, with the final decider being a longer deep-water race on Thursday.

Diego Frangi, Commodore of Portsmouth University’s Offshore Racing Club who host the event, claims Thursday’s 35 mile finale will be: “a tough offshore course that will emphasise the need for good tactics and seamanship.”