THERE were mixed emotions at the 2003 RYA Youth Championships and Trials as the sailors left the shore of Hayling Island sailing Club on the final day of racing.

Some were sailing to win a place in the RYA National Youth Squad,others the plane ticket to Madeira for the 2003 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships was at the forefront of their minds.

The first race for most of the classes was started in eight knots of wind, but the breeze quickly built and by the end of the second and for those sailing a third, it was closer to 14-knots and gusting to 16 at times.

With a point separating first and third place in the Laser Standard fleet, the competition was to be tough - making the job of the selectors very difficult.

Scoring a tenth place and a bullet in the final race gave Hayling Island Sailing Club's Stephen Powell the overall lead by four points from last year's Championship winner Andy Brooks.

Powell was then deemed the best man to send to the youth worlds. He commented after the racing: "I am delighted that I have been selected. I have been training hard for this event and it has been so close all week I wasn't sure who the selectors would choose. I now look forward to training hard and hopefully following in my brother's footsteps in bringing back a gold medal from the youth worlds."

Callum MacDonald and Haakon Karlsen, from the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club's respectively, won the 420 championships and the slot for the RYA Youth Worlds team.

Alison Martin and Bethan Carden, from Burghfield Sailing Club, finished in third place overall and top girls, securing their place in the youth world team.

Martin commented: "We are pretty happy with how we sailed this week and the competition has been really tough. My cousins have previously competed at the youth worlds in the 420 and there is a bit of family rivalry, so I am looking forward to going to the event and trying to better their sixth place."

The decision of which girl to send to the youth worlds has been a hard one for the selectors and both Charlotte Dobson, from Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club, and Colette Blair, from Bewl Valley Sailing Club, have been swapping places all week.

Dobson won the first race of the day with Blair third and in the second Blair finished eight places in front of Dobson, but Dobson had done enough to win the championships by a point and with it her ticket to the worlds. She commented: "I sailed a great first race and went into the second knowing exactly where I needed to finish to beat Colette. Unfortunately I panicked and sailed my worst run of the championships, capsizing and then having to do a penalty turn. I managed to gain back some places and did enough to beat Colette."

She added: "I am thrilled to have been selected. I didn't think I would be, but obviously I am very excited."

The last two places in the team were filled by Mistral sailors Peter Bird from Largs Sailing Club and Steph Thomson from Queen Mary Sailing Club.

Bird has led the event from start to finish, discarding his worst result - a 12th place - and counting six firsts among his score.

Thomson finished in sixth place overall and ten places in front of Laura Bray from Astbury Sailsports to win her place in the team.

After a further two races in the 29er fleet, David Evans and Richard Peacock secured the championship from local sailors Tom Smedley and Steven Wilson from Hayling Island Sailing Club, with Tristan Jacques and Alain Sign from Stokes Bay Sailing Club finishing in third overall.

In the 12-boat Hobie 16 class places have been changing regularly and after a further two races last year's winners, Ben Mansfield and Ben Hinks, came out the victors by 12 points from Ryan Crawford and Lewis Crawford from Penzance Sailing Club.