Samuel Cooper, aged 12, wins the RYA West Zone Championship

Samuel Cooper, aged 12, won the RYA West Zone Championship at the weekend, with three race wins in the Topper class.

He lives in Southport and sails at West Lancashire Yacht Club.

A pupil at Birkdale High School, Sam started sailing when he was nine, first in the Optimist class before moving on to Toppers.

He has been sailing in the Zone Squad for two years and this was his first major event victory.

He wants to progress onto either a Laser or 420 Class as he tries to go as high as he possibly can through the RYA’s pathway that encourages the Olympic contenders of the future.

Mum Catherine Cooper said: “Sailing is the only thing Sam is passionate about.

“He is a good role model for other youngsters coming up through the club.”

The Championship has proved once again to be one of the biggest and most popular events on the RYA Racing calendar and it traditionally marks the end of the Junior racing season.

The RYA High Performance Managers witnessed some impressive dinghy and windsurf racing from the nation’s Olympic hopefuls who have been competing for selection into the RYA Zone and Home Country squads.

The event, split over nine venues, attracted an assortment of sailors, supporters and volunteers from clubs and training centres across Great Britain.

It has given the young competitors the chance to experience big regatta racing without having to travel far from their home sailing clubs.

For some, the sailors competing in the Regatta fleets will have honed their racing skills and overall ability after venturing out onto the competitive circuit for the first time.

Tim Hall, RYA Event Director for the RYA West Zone, commented: “The wind just wasn’t playing ball with us here today at Blithfield Sailing Club and the overnight winners from day one of racing were crowned champions.

“I was very impressed with the high standard and the amount of effort the sailors were putting into their racing.

“The West Zone has some really promising young sailors which is great to see.”