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A sailing achievement to admire

A sailing achievement to admire

Flores W., Upper Sixth student, has been sailing since she was six. Her sailing journey began when she joined her local club on the youth sailing scheme, Young People Afloat (YPA). Both of her parents grew up sailing, so she was immersed in it from a young age.

Flores said: “I really enjoyed being a part of my local club, as well as Southwold Sailing and Yachting club, as it was social, and I enjoyed being on water.” She completed the core Royal Yachting Association (RYA) levels in dinghy sailing and theory and also dinghy racing at the age of 10 so that she could progress onto racing and sailing in complex boats and spinnakers.

Her first national race was at the age of 11 and by the time she was 15 she had completed the full Dinghy Instructor Qualification, which enabled her to teach at her local club. Teaching there allowed her to help beginners improve, just like she had when starting out, but also allowed her to carry on enhancing her skills. Now aged 16, Flores has received her Skipper Qualification, which is for larger vessels.

Flores is dedicated to training, getting up before school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to train with her squad, after school on Wednesdays with her club and also over the weekend with her squad. During the summer holidays she takes part in training weeks to maintain her standards.

All of this hard work and commitment to such a demanding but rewarding and enjoyable activity has seen Flores compete in various European sailing competitions since the age of 14 and led to her being scouted for the GB Youth squad in the summer of 2016. On the GB team, she competed in World Championships and was given the amazing opportunity to join the Podium Potential Pathway Squad in the summer of 2018. This will allow her to compete in both national and European Regattas such as the world-renowned Cowes Week, which will be an amazing opportunity for her. She will also have the great pleasure of participating in not only the World and European Championships, but also the World Cup series.

Congratulations to Flores and all of her achievements, and we wish you the very best of luck in all future competitions!