Olympic Classes Prepare For Round Two

The second round of the Holt RYA National Ranking Series 2004 will attract Olympic stars of today and the future this weekend with racing in seven of the nine Olympic classes.

Over the weekend 27/28 March the Finn, Europe, 470, 49er, Yngling, Tornado and Mistral will all be packing out Weymouth and Portland Harbour as they race for national ranking points, a share of the &pound50,000 grant money and some fantastic Holt prizes.

After a windy and eventful first round the competitors will be keen to get out onto the water and see whether the months spent winter training have paid off. It will also be an opportunity for the younger up and coming sailors, who are keen to attend some of the European Grade 1 regattas, to gain funding for events such as Hyeres and SPA regatta. For sailors who are new to Olympic class racing it is a perfect chance to pit their skills against some of the best sailing talent in the world and for others to simply enjoy competitive racing.

Winner of lasts years RYA Holt ranking series, Matt HOWARD said, “It’s really good to see and race alongside a lot of the national racers that are rarely seen on the international circuit and for those with Olympic ambitions these weekends provide the perfect opportunity to progress into the RYA Olympic Development Squad and gain funding for European events.”

Seven races are scheduled over the weekend and the forecast looks set for an ideal Spring weekend of racing, which should guarantee some terrific racing for the sports top brass and the newcomers.

Registration for the event opens at 10.00 on Saturday with the first race starting at 12.00. The race series is open to anybody who sails an Olympic Class boat and after each event a Holt RYA National Ranking list is compiled and used not only to determine the nation’s top sailors, but also to allocate grants for top international regattas.