MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay's Ashley Layland, aged 13, had an extremely good regatta at the World RS Tera Championships in England from 6 to 10 August.
She finished 10th in the Silver fleet and in the position of third girl in that fleet.
Ashley is a Milkwood Primary School learner and a member of the Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club.
The championships took place at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, which is an Olympic venue.
Eight sailors from South Africa took part. Ashley and George resident James Vonk were the only sailors from the Eden district. This year there were a record number of competitors for the championships. Because there was the large number of 81 sailors in the Tera Sport class, these sailors completed two days of qualifying races before the fleet was divided into Gold and Silver fleets for three days of championship racing.
There were 66 sailors in the Tera Pro class. The Pro sailors had a single start on a long starting line.
James, sailing in the Tera Pro fleet, fared the best of the three South African sailors in this fleet. His best placing was 12th in one race, but his other placings in the 20s and 40s left him in 43rd place overall.
Ashley believes that she must name her boat, even if she only charters it for a week for a competition.
She called her boat isikebhe, which means "boat" in Zulu. Last year's boat Ashley called Cheese, but it leaked so she decided to call this year's one "boat", so that it would float. Additional source: Malcolm Osborne
Ashley (right) was the third girl home in the Silver fleet at the World RS Tera Championships held in England.
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