Martin Hayes age 10 and Aaron Jones age 9, both members of South Staffs Sailing Club, won awards at the recent prize giving of the Midland Optimist Team.
They
sail Optimist dinghies which are the most popular sailing dinghy in the
world. Olympic gold medal winners Ben Ainslie and Ian Percy started their
sailing careers in these little boats.
To
win their prizes the lads competed against 70 other boats in 21 races held
on 7 different pieces of water. Martin was the overall series winner by a
convincing margin beating a number of 14 yr olds to be top of the fleet.
Aaron, who is newer to sailing, won the award for Endeavor for his
commitment to the sport and overall improvement during the year.
The
Midland Optimist Team start their 2003 season with a regatta on the lake
at the NEC on Feb 15 during the Caravan and Boat Show. A team of 7
youngsters from S.S.S.C will be competing against other children from all
over the Midlands.
