Freddie’s sailing season

As a business passionate about supporting blossoming talent, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sponsor a young sailor - Freddie MacLaverty - when it presented itself back in June. Our sponsorship enabled him to buy a new sail in time for the sailing season, and what a season it’s been so far. 

Grab a cuppa and sail the seas - from Poland to Wales - from the comfort of your own home.

ICLA 6 World and European Championships

In July, Freddie represented Great Britain at the ICLA 6 Youth World and European Championships in Poland. The level of competitiveness at these events can’t be overemphasised, with truly global participants - around 270 sailors representing their country at every event.

Each event was made up of six days of racing, preceded by two days of training. Freddie had only just turned 15 years old, racing in a youth event (under 19s). These were his first two international events in the ICLA 6. 

ICLA World Championships - Dziwnow, Poland

The first few days were really windy, sailing over two miles out in huge waves for up to eight hours straight. These championships were a huge learning curve for Freddie, who performed particularly well in his age group and the under 17 (U17) categories.

ICLA European Championships - Gdynia, Poland

These championships comprised three days’ qualifying and three days’ racing, in which Freddie improved his ranking from the World Championships by over 50 places. On the first day of racing, he came 45th out of 268 sailors, placing him in the top 60 sailors under 17 years old (U17). The last two days of racing were long and taxing, with over eight hours on the water both days and only one race completed due to wind conditions. The second day of racing saw Freddie make the Bronze fleet, placing around 50th in the U17 category. Watch the highlights.

ILCA Welsh Championships

After returning from the World and European Championships in Poland, Freddie travelled to Dale in West Wales to compete in the Welsh ILCA Championships. ILCA6 was a close-run contest between Fred and Iris Singleton - with Iris leading until the last race - when Fred took the lead, becoming the 2023 Welsh Champion.

Anglesey Offshore Dinghy Race

On the 13th August, Freddie took part in the Anglesey Offshore Dinghy Race (AODR). A totally different event to the norm, this is a long-distance sailing race starting in the beautiful town of Beaumaris on the banks of the Menai Straights and finishing at the picturesque beach of Traeth Bychan, home to Red Wharf Bay Sailing Club. The very windy conditions convinced a number of sailors to remain on the beach, but Freddie had a blast and finished third.

UK ILCA Nationals

Then it was off to Hayling Island for six days of racing at the UK ILCA Nationals. Freddie finished 12th overall and third amongst the under 17s (U17) - an amazing result as there were 115 ILCA 6 competitors of all ages. Freddie came second in the third race, (beating world champions) and gave his first on-camera interview.

British Youth Sailing Team Selection

After such a successful summer, Freddie was one of fourteen youth (under 19 years) sailors invited to Weymouth sailing academy for a selection weekend, part of the assessment process for the British youth sailing team. The sailors were put through their paces both on and off the water (fitness testing and sailing) and this, in conjunction with results from some sailing events, will allow the selectors to choose just four sailors for the team.

Qualifier Event for 2024 Season

16th and 17th September marked the first qualifier event for the 2024 season - these are a number of events across the year that sailors partake in so they may be considered for international events. The weather was turbulent, with storms which prevented much of the sailing. Just three races were run, and Freddie finished 19th. 

Welsh Junior And Youth Sailing Championships

Here, Freddie was the first Welsh boat and came second overall - a fantastic result in Freddie’s home country.

Young Sportsman of the Year

To round it all off, Freddie has been nominated for Conwy Council’s Young Sportsman of the Year 2023! Watch this space…

Follow Freddie on Instagram, X, and Facebook to keep up with his sailing journey.