Northern Ireland’s youth sailors compete with the best as the 2024 ILCA 6 Youth European Championships come to Bangor.
Eleven aspiring sailors from Northern Ireland have been confirmed to compete in this summer’s ILCA 6 Youth European Championships to be held at Ballyholme Yacht Club in Bangor, County Down.
This prestigious sailing competition, taking place between 27 July and 3 August, will welcome nearly 400 sailors from around the world in a week which promises intense competition.
Of the eleven named, six are members of the host club – namely, Bobby Driscoll, Cormac Byrne, Daniel Palmer, Isabel Nixon, Joseph Robinson and Lewis Thomson, with Autumn Halliday hailing from another North Down sailing club, Strangford Lough Sailing Club.
The remaining four sailors are associated with Antrim sailing clubs: Luke Simpson and Rory Pollard from County Antrim Yacht Club, Sophia Cahill from Carrickfergus Sailing Club and Zoe Whitfield from East Antrim Boat Club.
Andrew Baker, RYANI Performance Manager; Isabel Nixon, Youth European Championship competitor; Councillor David Chambers, Deputy Mayor of Ards and North Down; Daniel Palmer, Youth European Championship competitor and Rob Milligan, Commodore of Ballyholme Yacht Club.
With ten days to go before the racing begins, Councillor David Chambers, Deputy Mayor of Ards and North Down, paid a visit to Ballyholme Yacht Club to meet two of the competitors and learn more about the event from the Club Commodore and representatives of the Royal Yachting Association, Northern Ireland (RYANI).
Chambers said: “It’s super to see so many sailors qualifying for the event from Northern Ireland. When you consider how many competitors there are coming in from across Europe and beyond, it shows what an incredible achievement it is”.
It’s super to see so many sailors qualifying for the event from Northern Ireland. When you consider how many competitors there are coming in from across Europe and beyond, it shows what an incredible achievement it is – David Chambers.
“To have a huge event or competition here in North Down is fabulous for local businesses and for the local people. It’s also providing an opportunity for people outside of the borough to visit and see what we have on offer”.
“Obviously I would love to see the competitors from Northern Ireland go out and get a medal – that would be an unbelievable achievement – but I think just to qualify for an event like this is an achievement in itself. To be out there on the water will be an incredible experience whether they win or not, and I wish them the best of luck”.
While being no strangers to fierce competition, the Northern Ireland challengers are looking forward to taking on some of the best youth sailors in the world on home waters. Daniel Palmer, one of the competitors from Northern Ireland, explained the home advantage: “I’m looking forward to having the event on home waters having travelled to Poland, Italy and Portugal for international events over the past few years. It is such a rare luxury to be able to train at home for an event at my own club and I should be in good shape after sleeping in my own bed!”.
It is such a rare luxury to be able to train at home for an event at my own club and I should be in good shape after sleeping in my own bed! – Daniel Palmer.
RYANI Performance Manager, Andrew Baker, said: “Having an event like this at home gives more Northern Irish sailors the opportunity to compete at a level where normally selection places or cost would have been prohibitive. I hope it gives the sailors the chance to showcase this level of event to their own home clubs and make Northern Irish clubs take more notice of their efforts”.
Having an event like this at home gives more Northern Irish sailors the opportunity to compete at a level where normally selection places or cost would have been prohibitive – Andrew Baker.
“Those competing have trained hard throughout the winter and many of them are members of the Northern Ireland squad. At squad training camps we run two sessions per day and those sailors who are most committed sail three times per week when they are not at a camp. On top of this, a select few took part in a training camp in Valencia in January. This has allowed them to train at a higher intensity against international competition.”
The ILCA 6 Youth European Championships is a major sailing event for youth sailors where success at the European championships is an important step towards representing their countries at the Olympics.
Last year’s edition in Poland.
This is a proud moment for Ballyholme Yacht Club, as they continue their strong tradition of hosting major sailing competitions. In the past, they have hosted World and European Championships which serve as a great source of inspiration to young sailors who have gone on to compete in a professional setting.
As well as the several hundred youth sailors, Bangor is also set to welcome close to 100 accompanying performance coaches and many more supporting family members and friends. While the event itself takes place from 27 July through to 4 August 2024, competitors will arrive early to familiarise themselves with the sailing conditions, and it is anticipated that many will stay after to enjoy visiting the region’s attractions.
The arrival of so many visitors will provide a welcome summer boost to the economy of North Down as visitors take up accommodation, dine out and explore the many tourist attractions. To help expand the accommodation offering, the Kingsland area around Ballyholme Yacht Club will be transformed into a vibrant sailing village, offering camping and camper van parking as well as the full suite of competition facilities.
Another important aspect for Ballyholme Yacht Club was the ability to deliver a ‘Clean Regatta’. As sailors and water sports enthusiasts, the club holds a very strong marine environmental position and the club is proud to be signed up to the Green Blue Pledge, hold platinum level Clean Regattas Certification and Final Straw Certification, all of which aligns with the European ILCA (EurILCA) sailing organisation’s values and put the club in an excellent position to meet EurILCA’s sustainability requirements.
The success in hosting such major events hinges on the generous contributions of BYC volunteers, the support of other sailing clubs, the local community, Ards and North Down Borough Council, and indeed the industry sponsors who underpin the commitment necessary.
All information about the competition can be found on the event’s website.
Report by Agustín Argüelles – EurILCA | Source: Katie McGregor – Ballyholme Yacht Club.
