RYA Catamaran Development Squad
One of the most difficult decisions young sailors have to face is in deciding what class to move to after sailing Optimists, Toppers Cadets or Mirrors, or even earlier in their sailing careers. The RYA Cat Programme...
is all about giving young sailors another option when making this choice. And its an exciting option that directly helps sailors through that tricky transition stage between sailing at junior level and being recognized as a performer in a Youth Class.
The RYA provides a structured system from an introduction to Cat sailing to squad training and International event support at the Hobie World Championships and the ISAF Youth World Championships in 2004.
To start down this pathway you need to be selected for the Catamaran Development Squad. Many sailors involved have never been in a cat before now they are training in Hobie 16s and Hobie Dragoons with many teams now challenging for National Youth Squad places. These sailors have attended regular training weekends, being coached alongside the National Youth Squad, by coaches as talented as Brian Phipps, Stuart Sly and Marcus Lynch.
Depending on your weight, size, age and ability the way forward could be directly into a Hobie 16. Alternatively, the best way for you might be to spend a some time in a Hobie Dragoon. After each set of introduction and evaluation sessions the top 6 suitable teams are offered a fantastic charter deal on a Hobie Dragoon, courtesy of Hobie. For a nominal sum the boat is yours for about four months, provided you insure it and commit to our training and racing programme.
So what do you have to do to get involved?
Take a look at RYA Catamaran Development Squad page on the RYA site
Links: RYA | RYA Catamaran Development Squad | Dragon Squad
Information courtesy of the RYA