Rydal Penrhos sailors Ewan Luke and Daisy Lee-Browne recently returned from Germany, where they represented Wales as part of the Great Britain team in the RS Feva World Championships. The competition saw young sailors from 19 different countries – including France, Italy, the Netherlands, USA, Guatemala, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine and Canada – travel to Travemunde on the Baltic Sea to take part in the second biggest sailing festival in the world.
After a successful season in the UK, Daisy and Ewan went to the Worlds with a personal goal of sailing in the Gold (top-ranked) fleet. After two hard-fought days of qualifying races, in which they were placed as high as 5th in their group, they achieved a place in the Gold fleet for the final three days of the competition – a fantastic result out of 162 competing boats. Racing against the best Feva sailors in the world, the strength of the Great Britain team was obvious, with 30 out of the 54 boats in Gold fleet representing GBR, and the final result seeing GBR boats dominating the winners’ podium.
Ewan and Daisy are part of the RYA Wales Cymru Feva national squad, which trains in north Wales at Plas Menai and Pwllheli, and in Cardiff Bay in south Wales. Competing in the double-handed Feva has taken them far and wide across the UK this year, including to the Feva National Championships at Rutland Water and the Inland National Championships at Chew Valley near Bristol. Ewan and Daisy also benefit from regular sailing sessions at Rydal Penrhos School, and they are both members of Llandudno Sailing Club.