A trio of 15 year-old brothers who started sailing Optimist dinghies at the age of just eight will be racing in the highly competitive 11-strong Squib class at this year’s Charles Stanley Cowes Classics Week.
The boys, who started sailing at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club on the Isle of Wight, will race on Tuesday (21st July) at the Winkworth/Royal Victoria Yacht Club Race Day, then again at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week in August.
Cowes-based Hudson Wight Performance Sailwear is the official clothing sponsor for Cowes Classics Week and is also supporting the identical triplets as a personal sponsor.
Charlie, Harry and Tom White have quickly progressed to racing in earnest and have dominated the Oppie class, going on to win all the Series championships. They took part in mainland open championships in Lymington, Datchet and at Grafham Water. They also sailed an RS Feva in the ‘On Board’ Championship at Southampton Boat Show in 2011 and won.
The boys will be racing the RVYC Squib ‘Alice’, Sail number 777. The Squib is a 19ft fixed keelboat with mace coloured sails. They have been busy this week practicing their spinnaker skills and will be hoping for a mid-fleet position on Tuesday, although they are up against some very high calibre sailors.
This is their first Cowes Classics Week together on a Squib, although Charlie did join his Mum Angie during last year’s Cowes Week for one race and absolutely loved it. This experience inspired him along with encouragement from the Class Captain Marney Gibson and National Chair Steve Warren-Smith.
Charlie is on the helm, Harry is the tactician and Tom is on spinnaker duty.
