Etchells Sailor appointed Race Director of Lendy Cowes Week
Laurence Mead has been appointed Race Director of Lendy Cowes Week. He is well known in the Etchells Fleet having raced all over the world in the fleet and is a former British President.
His extensive sailing CV goes well beyond Etchells to include the World Match Racing Tour, many ocean races including the Sydney Hobart, numerous RORC Commodore’s Cups as skipper of the Hong Kong team, and much racing on a number of other yachts and dinghies. He has an extraordinary memory and can recount nearly every race in some detail.
Lendy Cowes Week is the biggest regatta in the world – it started in 1826. Even if it were half its size it would still be the largest. Last year there were 8,000 competitors, about 100,000 spectators, and 40 starts for each of the 8 days, including an Etchells Class start.
Laurence will be sailing regularly in the Cowes Etchells Fleet outside of Cowes Week. He ran the first Etchells Youth Academy with David Bedford; we have now seen over 360 youths sail in the Fleet, four of whom went on to race with Ben Ainslie Racing.
We have also seen the outstanding success of the young Grieg City Academy sailors who trained in our Youth Academy and were the first state school team to complete a Fastnet campaign.
