OCC Member Elin Jones takes part in Round Britain and Ireland Race
by Daria Blackwell 24 Jun 2022 06:18 UTC
Elin Jones and Lou Boorman © Daria Blackwell
Flying the flag for Wales, Elin Jones (20) and skipper Lou Boorman (19) are the youngest female crew ever to take part in the Race.
Elin & Lou were competing in the double-handed category. The 2000 NM Race begins and ends in Plymouth, England. There are three mandatory stopovers during the Race: Galway, Lerwick and Blyth. This was the first time for Galway to host the stopover. It is a challenging event.
Lou, the youngest skipper ever in the RBIR, and Elin were greeted in Galway by members of Galway Bay Sailing Club. Their 32-foot Contessa yacht 'White Knight' suffered technical issues, and they sailed almost all the way from Plymouth without power. No electronics, no lights, no communications. Members of GBSC helped sort out their charging issues while Lou and Elin caught up on much-needed rest.
They arrived in Lerwick on Sunday after a gruelling northwards voyage on leg 2 from Galway in heavy weather. They won leg 2 on handicap.
Elin, a member of the Royal Welsh Yacht Club, is crew on RNLI Aberystwyth (Bad Achub Aberystwyth Lifeboat). Lou and Elin have both been supported in Lerwick harbour by former Coxswain Bruce Leask, who's volunteering on behalf of hosts Lerwick Boating Club. Bruce helped to organise some repairs to their yacht before they set sail on leg 3.
Lou and Elin are using the race as a fundraising opportunity for the Alzheimer's Society, a charity close to their families' hearts. Three of their grandparents had dementia. You can donate via a Go Fund Me page.
We wish them both - and all the other yachts in the race - a safe and satisfying voyage until the finish line in Plymouth. There is a link to a lovely interview with them in the Galway Bay FM article below.
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This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.