The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Anna sails to success in national contest
Angus sailor triumphs in RYA British Youth National Championships
A talented young Angus sailor has left the opposition in her wake to score the biggest prize of her blossoming career.
The wind was in the sails of Dundee High School fifth-year pupil Anna Sturrock as she and helm Bella Fellows steered their boat to victory in the girl’s 29er class event at the RYA British Youth National Championships at Hayling Island in Hampshire.
The title was just reward for the determined pair, coming as it did after a demanding series of 18 races over five days which culminated in a title-deciding final race in which they crossed the line without knowing if they had done enough to seal the overall win.
The teenager, from Letham in Angus, said: “It was a pretty exciting feeling after a pretty full-on week. I didn’t really believe it for a while.”
Anna has enjoyed great success in single-person boats, winning a number of national titles, earning Scottish and UK squad call-ups and taking part in World Championships in both Topper and Laser classes.
However, after deciding that she would have to move to a double handed boat to further her sailing, the Royal Tay Yacht Club member joined forces with Bella, with whom she had previously sailed as part of the British Topper junior squad.
With Bella based in Plymouth, and Anna in rural Angus, the logistics of their pairing would not typically be classed as plain sailing.
However, with both girls now members of the British Youth 29er squad and the Scottish 29er squad, they have been able to use training meets to make their long distance partnership work. The Hayling Island triumph has also earned them a spot in the British squad for this summer’s 29er European Championships at Quiberon, France. “It should be fun,” added Anna. “It will be a great experience and we’ll be looking to do as well as we can.”