Young Warrenpoint sailor James O’Hare is celebrating after landing a top prize at the 2009 RYA Eric Twiname Championships – one of Britain’s biggest events for the country’s brightest junior sailing talents.

Now in their 23rd year, the Championships are the pinnacle of the racing calendar for the RYA Zone and Home Country squads, which are the first rung on the ladder towards Olympic Classes sailing.

Some 226 sailors – all aged between eight and 15 and representing the nine RYA Zone and Home Country squads - descended on Rutland Water this weekend (9-10 May) in a bid to help their Zone land the coveted Eric Twiname Shield and be named the top RYA Zone.

And 13-year-old James, who attends The Abbey CB School, enjoyed an excellent weekend winning the overall trophy for the Topper class, which included two impressive back-to-back race wins.

Carlingford Lough YC’s James said: “I was hoping to get in the top five, but winning those two races in the middle made a big difference even so it was pretty exciting when I came off the water and saw I was in first place. The Northern Ireland team isn’t the biggest so I was really pleased to have been able to win a trophy for us.

“This was my second RYA Eric Twiname Championships and last year was really helpful in me getting to know the fleet a bit better and who may be good and coming back this year. This has really given me a lot of confidence ahead of the Topper Worlds in Austria in July.”

Although breezes of 15 plus knots guaranteed a cracking first day of racing on Saturday, the wind wasn’t quite so willing to play ball on Sunday and with no further racing possible on day two the overnight leaders in the dinghy and windsurfing classes were crowned 2009 RYA Eric Twiname champions.

Duncan Truswell, RYA Youth Racing Manager, said: “The standard of racing on Saturday was the highest I have seen at this event for some years. In some shifty, gusty winds, sometimes over 20 knots, all the sailors did really well to hang in there and keep focussed for the full four races and it was great to see the level of skill being displayed.

“This is testament to the work the sailors have put in with their coaches over the winter and the fact that the RYA Eric Twiname Championships is held in such high regard by everyone. I was really impressed this weekend.”

John Derbyshire, RYA Racing Manager / Performance Director added: “The RYA Eric Twiname Championships are a fundamental rung in the development ladder for the young sailors, some of whom will have started at the absolute grassroots through the RYA’s OnBoard and Team15 programmes and for those who we hope will eventually go on to represent Britain as seniors at the World’s biggest Olympic Classes regattas.”

Full results and further event information can be found at the RYA Racing Events website at www.ryaracingevents.org.uk