International honours for young Penarth sailors (From Penarth Times)

International honours for young Penarth sailors

7:50am Thursday 9th July 2009

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THREE boys from Penarth have been selected for the Great Britain team to compete in the French National Optimist Sailing Championships at Loctudy in Brittany in the middle of July.

Will Creaven, David Pain and Matt Whitfield won their places following exhaustive trials at Pwllheli and Weymouth.

The Welsh contingent was further boosted by the selection of Joshua Burgess from Mumbles to also join the eight-person team.

Will, David, Matt and Joshua have made exceptional progress in recent years as part of a group of very talented sailors who regularly train together and race against each other.

Cardiff Bay Yacht Club sailor David was the earliest to show national level promise and set the standards for the others very high.

A member of the Great Britain National Squad for three years, he has regularly represented Britain at international events over the last few years - at the Naples international regatta, the Brassemermeer Easter regatta, the Swiss National Championships, and the Lake Garda Easter Regatta.

This will be his first GB representative honour in France, though he has represented Wales at the Celtic Games in Carantec, France.

Will also sails out of Cardiff Bay, and has been steadily showing that he is going to be a force to be recognised in coming years.

A light weather expert, Will can match it with the best when the wind is light and patchy and when clever decision-making is required.

He is also very good in the heavier air, and often beats bigger and older competitors when the white horses make their appearance. Will is also a member of the Great Britain National Squad.

Matt is a Penarth Yacht Club sailor who revels in the stronger breezes. Since he first came to prominence in Optimist sailing at the windy 2007 Inland Championships, he has surprised coaches and fellow competitors alike in his ability to race hard when others are thinking about mere survival.

He has also steadily improved his light weather performance and has become a genuine all-round sailor.

Matt has been a member of the Great Britain National Squad for two years and has represented Great Britain at the Brassemermeer Easter Regatta on two occasions. He has also competed in the Celtic Games for Wales.

Following selection for the French Nationals team, Will and Matt received the added honour of being selected for a GB junior team invited to a Japanese international event in Tokyo in late July. Among other countries competing are New Zealand, Australia, China, Korea, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Denmark, Belgium and Japan. Unfortunately, David was just seven days too old to qualify for this team.

Will and Matt will return from Japan just a few days before the British National Championships at Largs in Scotland, ensuring that they are going to have the busiest summer of their lives!

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