Kamila and Aga Czartolomna from Tettenhall powered their way to success at the Honda RYA Youth RIB Challenge Midland Area finals at Burton Sailing Club at the weekend (16 July). 2014 National Champion Kamila, 15, and her two-time Nationals finalist sibling Aga, 11, will now go head to head with the other 12 Area age-group finalists from across the UK at the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship showdown at the Southampton Boat Show on Sunday 25 September.
The competition has two age categories with older sister Kamila in the over 13 years group. Running times for this age group on the day ranged from 1 minute 7 seconds to 1 minute 40 seconds until Kamila posted two perfect rounds of control and precision and a final time of 59 seconds.
Younger sister Aga in the under 13 years category, has progressed well this year with the help of some sisterly competitiveness. Times for this age group ranged from 1 minute 20 seconds to 2 minutes 30 seconds until Aga posted her best time of 1 minute 5 seconds to also qualify for the final in September. Kamila said: “I’m looking forward to heading to Southampton Boat Show for the fifth time. Hopefully I’ll do well at the National final and bring another boat back for my club.” Aga added: “I’m proud to have won the Midlands Area Final and I’m hoping to do well at the National final. I’m very happy also for my big sister Kamila who is the 13-16 Midlands Champion too.” Both girls sail and are trained in powerboat driving at South Staffs SC, on Gailey Reservoir, by the club’s Junior Powerboat coach, Steve Troke, and fellow instructor, Robin Harper. Steve said: “The competition at the event was phenomenal, and it is great to see so many youngsters with such good power boat driving control and skill.
“The emphasis of the Honda RYA Youth RIB programme isn’t on speed and driving fast, it is about swift, efficient and safe manoeuvring.
These are invaluable skills in developing safe, proficient powerboat drivers to support sailing clubs to get people out on the water sailing. “Well done to both Kamila and Aga for their performances today, and indeed their responses to RYA Officials, they were a real credit to South Staffordshire Sailing Club and I am so please for them both to be heading off to Southampton again. “I would like to say a really big thank you to everyone at South Staffordshire Sailing Club for their continued support of the RIB challenge training. I would particularly like to thank coach Robin Harper, we couldn’t have achieved anything like the results we are getting without him and he has worked wonders with Aga this year.”