Toby Waggett, from Eggleston, Teesdale, may just be 14 years of age, but he is taking the sport of sailing by storm after winning in the ILCA 6 Men’s category at the Royal Yachting Association’s Youth Nationals, which took place between April 12 and 18 in Pwllheli, Wales.
During the competition, which is for ‘promising, up and coming athletes’, the teenager, who is part of Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club, was successful against a field of 23 other sailors from Britain and Italy.
This included winning the Welsh and Open ILCA 4 National Championships and British ILCA 4 National Championships in 2024, as well as picking up other accolades along the way.
Now in the ILCA 6 men’s category, Toby uses a single-handed dinghy, which is a carbon copy of the boat that they use at Olympic sailing events.
Following this fast rise to success, Toby has set his sights on a potential pathway to the Olympics in the future.
Tob’y’s mum, Deborah Waggott, said: “He is still too young at the moment, but if he were able to, he’d definitely like to go to the Olympics.”
While winning the Royal Yachting Association’s Youth Nationals was exciting for Toby, there’s no rest for the 14-year-old, as he prepares for the ILCA 4 Youth European Championships in Puck, Poland, and the ILCA 4 Youth World Championship in Los Angeles, later this year.
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“Going to the European and World championships is exciting, and it feels good to be racing in these events and winning national titles,” said Toby.
To prepare for a calendar year full of races, Toby, who is sponsored by Ovington Boats, is looking for further sponsorship opportunities from local businesses to ‘take him to the next level’.
If anyone is interested in sponsoring Toby, they can contact his mum, Deborah, at deborahwaggett@yahoo.co.uk.
