In this article, Fixture Calendar’s second monthly sailing guide, we will once again be giving fans a rundown of the coming month’s biggest sailing events. As predicted, March was an incredibly exciting month of sailing action with Seve Jarvin’s Andoo taking an incredibly impressive win in the JJ Giltinan Trophy and Tom Slingsby showing once again that his team are the team to beat in the F50. Looking forward to the biggest sailing events in April 2022, sailing fans are once again in for a treat with several exciting events taking place around the world. For a more complete sailing calendar visit Fixture Calendar to make sure you don’t miss a single start, first beat or finish.
RYA Youth National Championships, Plas Heli, 9-15th April
The RYA Youth National Championships is one of the biggest events on the calendar for British youth sailing. With 194 boats already registered to compete in the event across more than 8 different classes, competition will undoubtedly be fierce as the best of youth sailing from across the UK compete to reserve their spot at the Youth World Championships later in the year. Plas Heli, located in North Wales, will provide an exciting and vast backdrop for the 5 days of racing. Open to the forces of the North Atlantic the sea state on a windy day can often prove a challenge to even the most experienced of sailors, so there is no doubt that this year’s Youth National Championships will be a true test of the young sailors’ skills. We wish everyone involved the best of luck and remind you that a more extensive British Youth Sailing calendar can be found here.
Congressional Cup, Long Beach, 18-23rd April
Beyond the America’s Cup and the World Match Racing Tour Final, the Congressional Cup is considered to be one of the most prestigious titles to hold in match racing. The event, run over 5 days, is considered the ‘grandfather of match racing’ as it was the first to introduce on the water umpiring, a feature of the discipline that is now almost universal. The Congressional Cup is held just of Seal Beach Pier, from which spectators can watch every minute of the action and is sailed in wheel steered Catalina 37s, boats perfectly suited to match racing. The warm Californian climate and the notoriety of the event attracts world class sailors to the event every year, with recent winners including Taylor Canfield, Ian Williams, Francesco Bruni and Dean Barker. Who will end the week wearing the famous crimson blazer and with it take the win at the first WMRT World Championship event?
Cervantes Trophy, Cowes-Le Havre, Starts 30th April
The Cervantes Trophy is the first Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) Offshore event of the British domestic season and it’s on of the biggest sailing events in April 2022. The race, a short cross-channel dash, will begin early on the morning of the 30th with boats starting on the Royal Yacht Squadron line and heading to Le Havre. First presented to RORC in 1972 by Bob Watson and named after a number of his successful race boats, the trophy is highly regarded and crews will be keen to show their form early in the season. This year’s event has attracted a large French contingent, who are known for their offshore racing skill will be difficult to beat. However, with the fleet’s exit from the Solent one of the trickier stages of the race, entries local to the tricky tidal waters of the Solent will look to take the lead early. No matter the result, this race is not one to miss. If you want to find out more about the upcoming RORC season you can find a full schedule on our website.
