Keira Luke, who is a Year 8 pupil at Rydal Penrhos, was recently called up to the Royal Yachting Association’s  Regional Training Group – Feva (Midlands), for their 2020/21 winter coaching initiative.

This recognises her potential to progress within the British Sailing Team, with the aim of winning selection to the UK Youth Squads or beyond into the RYA’s Olympic Development programmes.

 Keira attained selection to the programme on the basis of performance and commitment to training and competition over a period of several years. This establishes her status as a British Youth sailor with the potential to represent Great Britain at major international events in the coming years.

 This is the latest in a series of exceptional achievements from Keira, who took up sailing as a Prep School pupil at Rydal Penrhos and has developed into one of the country’s best young prospects.

She is looking to emulate brother and 2018 leaver Ewan Luke, who was also a Team GB sailor during his time at the school.

The commitment required to achieve the objectives of the programme will increase significantly for Keira in the coming months,  and she will be supported by the school to balance these alongside her academic studies.

 The training weekends are set to be intense and will include time on the water, fitness training, classroom-based theory sessions and work with specialist support staff and coaches.

Keira has acquired a wealth of experience in a sailing capacity in recent years, which has resulted in regional and national competition achievements, in addition to Welsh squad selections and even winning the U18 General Handicap Fleet alongside fellow pupil Freddie MacLaverty at the British Youth Sailing Welsh Regional Championships despite their tender age.

Freddie himself has been at the top of his game on the water in recent months, earning a sports scholarship from the school thanks to his sterling effort and commitment to developing his exceptional talent.

This resulted in a stunning performance at the RS Tera Pro UK Nationals Championships, with Freddie coming away with second place overall at the prestigious competition – which was an incredible achievement considering the recent disruption to training caused by COVID-19 restrictions.

Freddie MacLaverty

Rydal Penrhos’ sailing provision is accredited by the Royal Yachting Association and enables both Prep and Senior pupils to participate and enjoy the freedom of boating, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking in a safe and fun environment.

One of the very few schools in the UK able to teach sailing and water-sports as part of our enhanced school curriculum for pupils from Year 3 to Year 8, Rydal Penrhos also offers certification at RYA Level 1-4 and beyond; Sailing with Spinnakers, Performance Sailing, Seamanship Skills and powerboat courses up to Level 2.