Helensburgh Sailing club hosted the RYA Scotland Youth and Junior Championship as part of the RYA Regional Championships.

Over 100 sailors across seven classes took part in the Regional Youth and Junior Championships at Helensburgh Sailing Club as part of a nationwide series of events that took place over the weekend of September 29 and 30 which involved more than 1,000 youngsters across the UK.

The Regional Junior Championships were previously known as the RYA Zone Championships, but the decision was taken to change the name so as to truly reflect the nature of the regattas as a fun, inclusive festival of sailing for under 16s regardless of ability, but with a championship element for serious racers.

The autumnal conditions certainly raised the bar throughout the weekend for the competitors with forceful and gusty conditions.

The race team and safety crews enabled four races in the single handed classes, Optimist, Topper and Lasers. While the double handers, Feva and 29er and windsurfers managed three races over the weekend.

Rio 2016 Olympian and local British Sailing Team member Charlotte Dobson came along to encourage the young sailors with tips and answered numerous questions about her sailing career.

She said: “It’s amazing to be back and I can see why the Scottish lot are hard as nails and doing so well in the British Team. This is where we all did our hard yards so it’s really cool to see the next generation doing theirs.

“It looks like they are having a great time, with some great Hollywood hiking as we approach in the media boat. Some sailors have pretty full sails for the conditions so I’d like to see some flatter sails all round and I guess coming out on days like this gives that experience.

“There are some great sailors at these clubs and I would advise sailing with different people and on as many different boats as the principles are the same. You should aim to gain as much knowledge as you can and make use of the experience of the coaches and club sailors as they will have some really good nuggets to share that will help you throughout your sailing.”