The 95 under 15 year old windsurfers, from all over the Country, competed against each other in nine teams, all winners of their regional events. The standard of sailing was extremely high but newcomers, Siblyback Water Warriors, soon proved their place in competition at this level.

With Water Warrior Joe Parrott (11) winning the first race in the 4.5 class and Jacob Henning (14) finishing second in his first race in the 5.8 class, it was clear that the expertise, racing experience and dedication of coach Louis Morris had been significant in the training and preparation of the team. By the second race, team mate Charlie Hickman (11) began to dominate the top end of the 3.5 class, finishing first in two races and maintaining a spot in the top three, throughout the series. Jacob Henning pulled the stops out even further, expertly handling his fast, but difficult to sail, race board and winning his next four races. By the end of the weekend, he had taken first prize in the 5.8 fleet.

Races were close to being cancelled on Saturday afternoon as the wind dropped off but by Sunday a fresh breeze saw the fleets planing at high speed, producing exciting starts and finishes and very close calls at turning marks.
After two days and nine races, Charlie Hickman finished in a superb second place in the 3.5 class, ahead of 26 other sailors. In an incredibly close battle Joe Parrott narrowly missed out on 2nd place in the 4.5 class, finishing on the same number of points as a rival from the ‘Pitsford Pirates' but was edged into 3rd as the tie went to discards.

The Water Warriors had done extremely well in their first championship campaign and were 4th overall. This result would not have been possible without the consistent performances of Ben Redgrove (14) and Oliver Plummer (13) in the 6.8 class, Ross Morris (12) in the 5.8 class, Amy Morris (11) and Sam Hale (13) in the 4.5 class and Cailean Morgan (12) in the 3.5 class. Nearly all had podium finishes in one or more of the races that led to the team qualifying for this event and there is no doubt about the progress they have made this season and the standard and level that they are sailing at. They have a real passion for the sport and a strong characteristic of their success has been their support for each other and the way they have gelled as a team.

Simon Turner Chief instructor said ‘The children sailed incredibly well and did not let the enormous pressure of a national event get to them, with stories of the team having mud fights before race briefings, one member singing whilst overtaking people it is safe to say they had lots of fun. I am very proud of what they have all achieved and look forward to next season with new sailors joining the team and the experience and confidence gained from the event I hope we can continue to succeed at a National level.'

The team had all learnt to sail at Siblyback Lake and continued their training during the ‘kids club' sessions, which run every Saturday throughout the season and even through the winter for those experienced and intrepid enough!