WEYMOUTH and Portland's young sailors will be gearing up ahead of the 2018 RYA Youth National Championships which starts in less than a month, with time running out to get entries in.

The regatta promises to be the highlight of the youth sailing season, with a week of racing taking place in the waters of picturesque Largs, Scotland, from March 30 to April 6.

More than 215 sailors have already been submitted, a rise on last year’s figures, guaranteeing the regatta is going to be one you don’t want to miss.

Competition looks stiff yet again as some of the 2017 medallists return to take to the start line alongside regional youth champions from across the country.

With newcomers looking to challenge them for a spot on the podium, plus a host of prizes thanks to British Youth Sailing clothing supplier Musto, the 2018 Youth Nationals is an event on every young racer’s calendar.

As well as being a celebration of young British sailing talent, the 2018 RYA Youth National Championships is also a chance to qualify for the British Youth Sailing Team that will attend the 2018 Youth Sailing World Championships in Corpus Christi, USA, in July this year.

Mark Nicholls, the RYA’s Youth Racing Manager said: “The Youth Nationals is always a big event on the calendar for us and presents a fantastic opportunity to really test yourself against sailors from all over the country,

“Largs is a great venue and all competitors will learn valuable lessons to take forward throughout their lifetime in the sport. If any young racers are thinking about entering, my advice would be to do it for the experience alone.”

The deadline for standard entry for the RYA Youth National Championships ended at midnight, but those who want to enter can still do so with the fees rising to £200 for single-handers and £250 for double-handers.

Any entries received after midnight on March 11 will also be subject to a 10 per cent administration charge on top of the late entry fee.

You can follow the event build-up on the event website, British Youth Sailing Facebook page and on Twitter at @RYAyouthracing.