Past Mirror sailors in the sailing news

The Mirror Class has produced a number of sailors who have gone onto great things in the world of sailing, and results from various sailing events worldwide this year have been no exception.

Lucy Macgregor and her sister Kate, both of whom sailed as part of the Poole YC Mirror fleet, were part of the crew that won the ISAF Womens Match Race World Championships 2010, beating the crew from the USA 3-2 in a tightly fought battle that went down to the last race. Lucy, who skippers the boat, coached junior Mirror sailors while in the 420 fleet and is hoping she and her crew will make the Team GBR Match Race slot for the 2012 Olympics. Details on how the girls campaign is going can be found at www.matchracegirls.com

Kate Macgregor had double gold medal success this year when she and James Ellis, an ex-Mirror sailor from Plymouth, were part of the Southampton Solent University crew that won the Student Yachting World Cup in La Rochelle, in October.
Read the report at www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/?article=154546

The BUCS National Fleet Racing Champioships 2010 saw Holly Scott, who was the crew in the Team GBR Mirror that won the World Championships in South Africa in 2007, partner Ben Saxton to victory in the handicap fleet.
Report of the event can be viewed at www.busa.co.uk/

Finally, Hollingworth Lake SC ex-Mirror sailor Stuart Bithell, crewed by Christian Birrel, has won the 2010 Endeavour Cup (the event to decide the Champion of Champions) sailing a Merlin Rocket. Stuart is also currently campaigning a 470 with Luke Patience with their sites set on selection for the 2012 Olympics.
Report of the event can be viewed at
royalcorinthian.co.uk/newsstory/ ... -endeavour

Regards

Steve Wilkinson

Steve

Great to see the success of recent Mirror sailors being celebrated, the class has certainly generated some of the country's top atheletes.

Looking at the various squads :

RYA Olympic Squad -
Perfomance (Top Level)
Stuart Bithell (470)
John Pink (49er)
Lucy Macgregor (Match)
Kate Macgregor (Match)
Niki Birrell (Skud)

Olympic Transitional
Ed Fitzgerald (49er)

Youth Squad
Tom Lovesey
Izzy Fitzgerald
The above 2 have also been selected to 420 GBR Worlds team in Jan 2011

Mirror sailors have also enjoyed recent success at the ISAF Youth Worlds, with Hannah Mitchell representing Team GBR in 420s this year and just missing a medal. Previous years has seen Ed Fitzgerald, James Ellis, Stu Bithell, Jonny McGovern all winning medals at this event.

As much of the funding for UK Sport is based on success at the highest level, it is great to see the Mirror has played a role in this.

Elsewhere, Mirror sailors have dominated with David Conlon winning the 29er Nationals and Lily Carlisle the Inlands.

I am sure others can report Mirror sailors winning in other classes .......

Simon

Paul Brotherton, ex olympic 470 sailor, and his brother were bought my Mirror, by their mother. I taught them both to sail in my later teens. Used to see Paul, waiting for the bus, to Manchester, to get the coach down to Hayling Island, for race training. He always reminded me of tigger, full of fun, and bouncy.
This guy once paid me the finest compliment. I was competing in the 91
Merlin Nationals at Abersoch North Wales. Isobars, one over Britain, another over Iceland. Not much good for sailing, but great for a suntan. One day midweek, having finished mid-fleet, we were trudging up the beach, sails life jackets underarm, there was a circle of sailors, around some guy chatting to them all. As we approached, the circle broke, and this voice said, Hiya Phil havn't seen you for ages, turned to the spellbound audience, and said; This is the guy that taught me to sail. Wow what a compliment.