Sailing
Who rules the waves? Britain's best battle it out
Red Bull Foiling Generation's UK stop saw Owen Bowerman and Morgan Peach sail to glory
UK Red Bull Foiling Generation participants
© Olaf Pignataro for Red Bull Content Pool
Take 16 teams who have never sailed on foiling boats, pit them against 14-knot winds over 3 days and you have the UK's Red Bull Foiling Generation. 18-year-olds Owen Bowerman and Morgan Peach ultimately claimed victory in Weymouth and Portland, mastering the Flying Phantom and the wind to take the title. Check out the best pictures and video of the event below.
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“It was the most fun and spectacular sailing event I ever participated in. The fleet was incredibly strong. We had three days of intense racing and the final race was just a thriller. It is a big honour to win the British ticket for the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final,” said Owen Bowerman.
“All teams participating learned so much through this week. I am sure our sailing skills are on another level now.”
After a hugely successful launch of the Red Bull Foiling Generation sailing series in Wakayama, Japan, Weymouth on Dorset's coast welcomed the second stop of double Olympic champions Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher's quest to find the sailing stars of the future. They were impressed by the level of the young British sailors and their skills.
“The level of the teams was high, the potential they have is enormous. The winner of the UK edition will play a role at the World Final 2016,” said Hagara.
“The perfect boat, the perfect location and amazing young talents. This is what we were looking for and was delivered this week,” added Hans Peter Steinacher.
See the best of the action from the UK leg of Red Bull Foiling Generation in the video player below.
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Red Bull Foiling Generation highlights
Watch the best of the action from the UK leg of Red Bull Foiling Generation.
Red Bull Foiling Generation pitted 32 of the UK's best young sailors, between 16 and 20 years of age, against each other in identical Flying Phantom foils in a knock-out tournament leading to the deciding four-boat final.
Bowerman and Peach took the win in style from the pairings of Olivier Greber and Ed Connellan, Oliver Aldridge and Nathaniel Gordon, and Gillies Munro with Daniel Harris, earning the right to represent the UK against the best sailors from around the globe in the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final in late 2016. There they will meet the best foilers from Sweden, Japan, Russia, Italy, Denmark and France to to decide who will be crowned the world's best young sailing team.
The race for a place in the World Finals is on
© Olaf Pignataro/Red Bull Content Pool
The best young British sailors do battle
© Olaf Pignataro/Red Bull Content Pool
Racing was close all weekend in Weymouth
© Olaf Pignataro/Red Bull Content Pool
The winning team, Owen Bowerman and Morgan Peach
© Olaf Pignataro/Red Bull Content Pool
The next stop for the series is in Italy with a knock-out battle between Italy's best young sailors scheduled for July 10–12.
Red Bull Foiling Generation, Weymouth, UK: Final Results 1. Bowman/Peach 2. Greber/Connellan 3. Aldridge/Gordon 4. Munro/Harris
For more sailing, news and images go to RedBullExtremeSailing.com.