Winners of the 2021 Ian Atkins Keelboat Award announced
by Elizabeth Robinson, John Merricks Sailing Trust 13 Jul 2021 06:00 PDT
10-11 July 2021
Royal Southern Yacht Club July Regatta © Liam Pardy / SportsBoatWorld
The John Merricks Sailing Trust (JMST), the charity set up in memory of 1996 Olympic Silver medallist John Merricks, is delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 Ian Atkins Keelboat Award.
This Award is open to any sailors, aged between 18 and 22, who seek to transition their sailing ambitions from dinghies to small keelboats. For 2021, the award was a sponsored and supported entry to compete at the World's most famous regatta - Cowes Week.
JMST teamed up with SportsBoatWorld, the SB20 UK Class and the Royal Southern Yacht Club to run a free-to-enter selection event at the Royal Southern's July regatta, held over the weekend of the 10 and 11 July. Applications were invited from mixed gender teams of three or four young dinghy sailors wishing to take part. Applications were judged on track record; commitment; future potential; as well as the scope and ambition of future sailing plans.
The top youth team at the event consisted of Patrick Whelan, Annabel Whelan, Dylan Collingbourne and Gerard Cloke-Brown. Our huge congratulations to Patrick and the team who now go forward to a fully funded participation in Cowes Week, where we wish them every success!
Many thanks to the Royal Southern for their help and hospitality and we are enormously grateful to SportsBoat World for providing the boat and wholeheartedly supporting the awards this year.