As part of its long-term partnership with the 29er UK Class Association, marine equipment manufacturer Typhoon International will sponsor three pairs of promising young sailors in the Junior, Boys and Girls divisions.

Representing the Junior pair will be Freya Hutchinson and Joanna MacAlister, a newly formed pair showing great promise after both enjoying successful single-handed achievements in the Optimist and RS Tera fleets respectively.

During 2023, they competed in GP1 and GP2 which resulted in a place in the National Squad at the age of 13, ranking 1st female junior pairing and 6th female pairing overall in both GP events. They also enjoyed success in the Ovington championships in Dorset. Also, to date in 2024, they finished third girls’ pair at the GP3 in January.

“Our aspirations for 2024 will be top Junior girls rolling ranking,” says MacAlister. “We hope to qualify again for the national squad.”

Meanwhile, representing the Boys pair will be Rory Stretch and Jake Rawes, whose sailing achievements include Fireball Youth National Champion 2023 and placing 3rd at the Topper Worlds in 2022. The boys’ aspiration for 2024 is to be selected for the national squad.

The Girls pair, meanwhile, comprise of Annabelle Vines & Amelie Hiscocks. As a new partnership, they have joined together for the 2024 season, and both have an impressive proven track record of success.

In the 2022-2023 season, both Annabelle and Amelie – in separate teams – were competing at the front of the fleet, consistently placing 1st and 2nd British girls. In 2023, Annabelle won the female selection and was invited to go to the Youth Sailing World Championships in Brazil.

This year the pair are aiming for podium finishes within the female category at both the World and European Championships, as well as qualifying to represent Great Britain at the Youth Sailing World Championships. The pair have started as they mean to go on, after finishing top girl pair and third overall at GP3.

“We’re thrilled to be supporting three individual pairs for 2024, which we hope will give them the best possible chance to excel in both the class and the sport,” says Amy Grealish, marketing manager at Typhoon.

“Being able to contribute to youth sailing is a source of great pride for us, and we’re committed to actively supporting the hard-working sailors with our comprehensive range of clothing and equipment tailored specifically for dinghy enthusiasts.”

Typhoon will also be providing prizes at the major events in the 29er Class Association calendar.

Phil Lightbody, 29er UK Class Chairman, comments: “We’re grateful for the unwavering support from Typhoon International and their steadfast commitment to the event, which plays a pivotal role in fostering our sailing community’s success and growth.”

The Typhoon 29er National Championships will be held from the 24-29 August 2024 at Royal Lymington Yacht Club, with many other regattas being held throughout the year at various locations around the UK.

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