A group of junior sailors from Rutland Sailing Club have been selected to represent Great Britain in the Youth World Match Racing Championships in Australia this December.

This comes after a local team bagged an impressive win at the Irish Elmo Trophy at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The team embarking on their journey into World stage sailing have only just had their entry to the upcoming competition in Sydney, Australia confirmed, leaving a very short window for them to prepare, train and to get the funds together, hence their request for help.

The team are already European and double National Youth Match Racing Champions, this event gives them the opportunity to compete on a world stage.

Sailors from Rutland Sailing Club need your support. Image credit: Nub News.

The team, who will be heading out to Australia in December, is skippered by Ben Tylecote, who is supported by an incredibly strong team, made up of local sailors, Terry Hacker, Freya Pembery and Jamie Tylecote, and new to the team, but bringing a wealth of keelboat and dinghy prowess is Finn Morris.

The event they hope to attend is World Sailing’s Youth Match Racing World Championships 2023.

It is the ultimate head-to-head challenge in supplied boats where no technical advantage can be bought or expected. The definitive keelboat test of skill with short course, dynamic racing. This event will be in Elliot 7s, not found in the UK and so they are also hoping to attend a pre-event to get used to the boats and give them a chance against the more experienced USA and AUS teams.

They are asking for support to help afford the flights, car hire, and the additional costs of the pre-event regatta. Of course, the National authority are involved and are providing some support, primarily paying for the entry fee but most of the money they will have to find themselves. They have worked in part over the summer, alongside racing to get some money together but without additional support they will be looking at student overdrafts and then working out the aftereffects later.

The event will see young sailors from across the world compete. Image credit: Steve Tylecote.

The team are all passionate dinghy racers in the ILCAs, Fireflies and 29ers at National and World level, with excursions into other fleets including Ben winning the Lord Birkett Trophy sailing an RS400. They are all strong team racers too – they have won the RYA National Youth Team Racing Championships several times, as well as the BSDRA National Championships.

The crew are primarily from Rutland SC where they have been lucky enough to get to train and race in the club RS21s sourced for the youth sailors of the club through the support of the JMST.

Mum of one of the young sailors, Fiona, said: "We hope to enable Ben and his team to attend this event with the best possible chance of success and we thank you for reading this request.

"If you have ideas about potential corporate sponsorship please contact us directly. The team currently do not have a sponsor."

Can you help?

Head to their gofundme page to donate.

Good luck to the team!