Sam Rutherford, 9C, has been continuing his winter sailing schedule by training and competing at the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Venue in Weymouth. The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is team GB’s high performance sailing centre, where the top GB sailors are currently working towards qualifying for the Rio Games. Over the weekend of 5-6 of March 2016, Junior squads from Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland arrived in Weymouth to competed in the Laser 4.7 class.
Conditions on the first day suited Sam as he likes the stronger winds leaving him in 9th placed boy overnight but as the winds eased on the second day the breeze favoured the lighter sailers and he dropped a few positions overall.
Sam finished the competition as 12th boy and the top Northern Ireland male competitor. After the next NI squad training on weekend of 12-13 March 2016, which is at home here at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club in Cultra, Sam heads for Baltimore at Easter and the 2016 Munster Championships.