Jamie Harris from Axbridge has been named the winner of the South West RYA Youth Champion award.

A PROMISING 14-year-old sailor from Axbridge has been revealed as the winner of the South West RYA Youth Champion award.

Jamie Harris will receive his award along with 13 other regional winners at the official awards presentation taking place at the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show March 1.

Jamie was nominated by Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club and selected as a winner by the South West regional committee because of his exceptional sailing achievements.

He won the Saxton (national junior boy champion) Cup in the Optimist in Largs 2013, and was second on countback in the Irish Junior Nationals the same year. He built on this success during 2014, when he qualified for both Optimist and Cadet national squads, and represented the GBR Optimists in Italy, the Netherlands and France.

In Optimists, he also won first overseas boy in Ireland, second place in the Southern Traveller series, came ninth at the end of seasons and 19th for GBR in the UK Optimist nationals.

In the Cadet class, he sailed in the leading GBR Cadet on day one, came sixth and first in the Under 13s at Waldringfield Cadet Week in East Suffolk and eighth in the world team qualifier at Stone Sailing Club in Essex.

“I was quite surprised to hear I’d won the award,” said Jamie. “I didn’t expect anything like it. I’m definitely looking forward to receiving it at the Dinghy Show and also picking up the new boat we’ve ordered from the Cadet stand.”

2014 was also the year Jamie started sailing a Cadet with his younger sister Bettine, aged 12, who herself made a first GBR team trip (to Ireland) with an Optimist, and has sacrificed potential team places this year to crew with her brother.