Ahoy! Next week, we're kicking off our Y7 Sailing Week at RHS. To get us in the mood, why not hear from our senior sailors and find out what they have been up to this summer? Audrey, Chris, Harriet, Tom, Ciara and Sam have all competed against the best sailors worldwide this summer.  

Sarah D made history in Bermuda in July as the winning skipper of the inaugural trophy for a women’s race in the Bermuda Fitted Dinghy.  The boats are a unique build and racing them has formed part of their heritage since the 1800s. 

On Saturday 17 June, four teams travelled to Bough Beech Sailing Club in Kent to team race against seven other schools and sailing clubs in the Hoad Shield event. Light winds made the racing very difficult, and at times very random, and meant that we only completed four or five races each before the knockouts. The Navy team of myself, Nicole S, Luiz F, Carlos GR, Moritz P and Kate W were the highest placed RHS team, winning all 5 of our round robin races but losing the semi-final shootout to Sevenoaks School. We finished with a win against Oakham School to finish 3rd overall. The other RHS teams finished 5th, 6th and 9th out of the 13 teams. 

Over the Easter break, a number of sailors competed in the Youth National Championships. Christopher M had the standout performance, winning the ILCA 6 title and being crowned Youth National Champion. Luiz Felipe GDA and Toby S also finished in the top 10 in the same competition to conclude an impressive display from the RHS sailors. 

We are thrilled to congratulate Audrey Foley, Year 12, on her remarkable achievement as the 2023 US Youth Female ILCA 6 Champion at Mount Hope Bay. Competing against over 230 sailors from nine countries, Audrey's exceptional skills and determination propelled her to the top of the competition.

Christopher Marsh, a Year 12 international boarder and sailing scholar at RHS, has become the new Under 19 Youth ILCA National Champion! The path to  claim the title was not an easy one for Christopher as he faced numerous challenges during the competition, held in Weymouth Bay.

Pupils Toby C, Grace G, Theo G and Jacob W took part in the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. This race takes place over a weekend and is the longest non-stop canoe race in the world, starting in Wiltshire and ending in Westminster.

During our end of term assembly, sports updates were shared from sports such as boys' hockey, girls' netball, cross country, basketball, sailing and climbing.  

Sebastian Kempe in Yr 13 was named as 'Junior Male Athlete of the Year' by the Bermuda Government at their recent National Sports Awards!  

On 9-15 December 2022 at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, Thailand, Christopher Marsh (Year 12, Collingwood) took home the silver medal in the Asian ILCA 6 Championship! 

Meet us at the RYA Dinghy Show at Farnborough International Exhibition Centre this weekend! We will be on Stand B24 so make sure you pop by to say hello! 

Ed Sibson, Director of Sailing, spoke to Yachts and Yachting Magazine about our extensive sailing programme

We are delighted to be featured in this year's Spring/Summer 2023 issue of School House Magazine. 

We are delighted to introduce our new sailing staff, Mr Line (Sailing Instructor) and Mr Hickman (Assistant Director of Sailing) who have joined us this academic year. They are both already making a positive impact in our sailing academy, and we are excited to see how they continue to help our pupils progress throughout the season. 

Sailing team captain, Nicole S, gave a report in Monday’s assembly on her team's recent success in the U19 Women’s Team Racing National Championships.  

Thommie G, our Sailing Captain, gives us a full round-up of all the different championships that our pupils have participated in since the end of the Summer Term, including awards won by our pupils.

Our sailing weeks are an integral and exciting part of the first term for all our Year 7 pupils, where they learn to sail as a beginner or improve their skills over the course of a week-long programme at Alton Water, led by our experienced Director of Sailing, Mr Sibson, and his team. 

Sarah, Merryn and Tom became the NSSA Single Handed Racing Champions last weekend winning the championships at Burton Sailing Club. Four of the three RHS teams competed in Topper sailing dinghies. 

Merryn Attridge, age 14, was crowned Topper 5.3 National  Champion this summer! Hosted by the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, 110 sailors took part in the 5.3 Topper Championship over the course of five days and 10 races. 

Windy weather means land yachting for our Year 7s!

Our RHS pupils have had much sailing success over the summer. Please find below some of the fabulous results!

RHS sailors had a fantastic time and earned impressive results at the biggest cadet sailing regatta on the East coast. 

Audrey Foley, who joins us in Year 12 this September, has secured 1st Place in the ILCA 6 class at the USA 2022 ILCA Nationals last week.

Four of our elite sailors took part in the World Sailing Youth World Championships in The Hague last week, in the One Person Dinghy Male and Female fleets (ILCA 6 Class). 

Our sailing teams had a triumphant weekend of sailing, with our younger sailors securing top results and medals at the RYA Regional Junior Championships, whilst our Senior team claimed the Hoad Inter-Schools Shield for the third consecutive year.  

Two RHS sail teams took the long journey to Southampton to compete in the BSDRA Southern Championship for the first time. It was a light wind event putting a premium on good boat handling, calmness under pressure and situational awareness.

RHS dominated the podium at the RYA Youth National Championships, held in Pwllheli, Wales during the Easter holidays.

Sebastian Kempe's recent win at the World Youth Sailing Championships received some well deserved media attention and we were delighted to welcome ITV news and the East Anglian Daily Times to the School to interview him.

Sebastian Kempe has secured the Youth World Champion 2021 title (ILCA6 Male class), at the Youth Sailing World Championship in Oman this week.

Sebastian performed consistently well all week, competing in nine races and securing three race wins against 50 boats in his class. Holding second place until the final day, Sebastian held his nerve to claim the title from his closest rivals.

Sebastian, age 17 from Bermuda, is a full boarding pupil and sailing scholar at the Royal Hospital School, joining the Sixth Form in September 2020.

Olivia Gowland has achieved straight 9s and 8s in her GCSEs (which is the equivalent of A*s and high As) and has been awarded a Sixth Form Sailing Scholarship along side her Academic Scholarship.

Known for its sailing prowess, Suffolk's Royal Hospital School has recently sailed to success, winning several high-profile races this year.

Josie has been awarded the Young Sailor of the Year 2019 in recognition of her offshore sailing accomplishments including the Rolex Fastnet Race and winning the Wallis Cup. You can listen to her BBC radio interview here.

Sailors were presented with medal and awards by the Headmaster for their competitive efforts and successes over the last term.

Come visit the RHS stand at the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace 2-3 March 2019.