Covenham Cyclones windsurfing club are preparing for the Team 15 National Championships, after winning the last two windsurfing events of the series to be crowned North Zone champions. Team 15 is a nationwide network of windsurf clubs set up by the Royal Yachting Association to get more young people involved in windsurfing and fun competition.  A summer of working and playing hard on the water at Covenham Reservoir in Lincolnshire paid off for the team of 15 windsurfers aged between 8 and 15 years, who are looking forward to the national event at Rutland Water on the 15th October.

Racing at Halifax Sailing club in August, the Cyclones overcame the strong breeze and brisk temperatures to take first place in the 3.5m and 4.5m classes, and second and third places in the 5.5m class, sealing a spectacular victory.

The final event of the season was held on 4th September at Surfstore, near Bishopton in Teeside, and a high attendance provided fierce competition for a Cyclones team brimming with confidence. Lighter winds and temperatures in the 30’s provided some more spectator-friendly racing, and with three of the youngest members of the team competing for the first time, the Cyclones were able to field competitors in all four classes. At the end of the day the Covenham’s team score was equal with the host team, the Surfstore Allstars, at 71 points. The Cyclones took first place however, as they had fielded a full team of 15.

After four events and hundreds of miles of travelling, the Cyclones qualify for the finals next month with one 2nd place and three 1st place finishes, which is an extraordinary achievement for the team of youngsters who only learnt to windsurf last summer – and three of them in the last few weeks!

The club would like to thank Derrick Hall for coordinating the events, all the parents for transporting the kit, as well as the competitors, the team coaches and sponsors Reef Rash surf shop. You can read full reports on all of these events in the inter-club section of the Team 15 website by clicking here.

Covenham Cyclones are looking for sponsors to help with the cost of purchasing some high performance sails and boards in order to make a real impact at the National Championships. If you are interested in sponsoring the team a new windsurf rig could be purchased for £350 and your company name/logo displayed on the sail and the team trailer. The event will be receiving national media coverage. Please contact Lucy Dunnett at Covenham on 01507 363709 for details.

If you would like to learn to windsurf the next Level 1 course is on 13th/14th September and the next improvers course is on 15th/16th September.  More details can be found here.

Photo top row:  Isaac Cooper, Andrew Thompson with Harry Maw on shoulders, Simon Thompson, Coach - Ross Moore, Katie Jackson, David Smith, Luke Tasker, Head Coach - Lucy Dunnett. Bottom row:  Jack Maw, Bethany Plaskett, Joe Dickinson, Hannah Tasker, Joe Moore, Tom Dickinson, Daniel Hufton.