We all know volunteering can be very rewarding, but it is also a great way of calmly leading by example. Tom Powell, a key figure supporting Northampton Sailing Club’s youth windsurfers said, “2026 has been an amazing year of success for our youth sailors and I am so proud of all they have achieved this year. But more than their medals, my biggest joy comes from watching how they help teach other youth windsurfers, share their skills and support them as first timers at race events. That kind of camaraderie and leadership gives you every confidence in the future.”
All of our windsurfing coaches for both adults and juniors are volunteers, giving up their time to bring others on. An extraordinary season of success made them all feel like winners. The windsurfing year rounded off in triumph at the annual Wind Sports National Championships held at Rutland Water. Northampton Sailing Club’s young windsurfers faced fierce competition from the country’s best youth sailors over two exhausting days of racing. They brought home an impressive array of medals in different fleets – fleets are determined by the size of the sail.
National Championship Success
In his very first national championship, Ollie claimed silver in the 3.5m fleet. Ben fought hard in the 5.8m fleet, grabbing himself a bronze medal overall. As the sail sizes grew, so did the intensity of the racing with Elena pushing hard in the 6.8m fleet, narrowly missing out on a podium spot but securing a well-earned 4th place. The 7.8m fleet saw double celebration for the NSC team with Brixworth’s Calum Dixon sailing a phenomenal regatta to cross the finish line and claim bronze. Holly Powell (also from Brixworth) took silver in the 7.8m women’s, just behind Team GBs selection for the Youth Olympics taking place in Senegal next month.
Champions Cup
Individual results tallied up across the year gave NSC its best ever team achievement landing us 4th place in the Champions Cup. To put that another way, Northampton Sailing Club produced the 4th best youth windsurfing team, nationally. Not bad for a landlocked county so far from the sea!
And that’s not all! After a season of UK dominance, Holly was officially crowned Series Champion in the women’s National 7.8 category, as well as winning gold at Scottish Fin and Foil in Stranraer.
The progress made by the entire NSC windsurfing youth squad has been fantastic. While National Championships wrapped up a memorable summer season, the adventure is only just beginning for two of our sailors: Holly and Calum are now transition training into the IQFoil class, the Olympic-grade hydrofoiling windsurfers that literally lift out of the water, allowing sailors to fly above the surface at breath-taking speeds. As a parent who can only watch from shore I can tell you the mix of pride a terror goes up and down within you like a yo-yo! Watch this space!
Written by: Rachel Powell