News - 2013

09:00 Thursday 22 Aug 2013 The crew of J/80 J.A.T crew win the Aberdeen Asset Management U25 Trophy in 2013

Sailors Chris Taylor (19), Tim Gratton (18), Ben Gratton (20), Peter Alton (21) and Anna Masters (19) won the Aberdeen Asset Management Under 25 Trophy as this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, which ran 3 – 10 August. Originally from the Hayling Island Sailing Club, Chris, Tim and Ben were joined by fellow 420 sailors Anna and Pete, racing in the J/80 class in J.A.T.

As one of the first fifteen crews to enter into the Under 25 competition category, the J.A.T crew had their regatta entry fee covered by Aberdeen Asset Management, and received a team sailing kit.

J.A.T had a fantastic week of sailing at Cowes. Establishing themselves in first position early in the week, their success continued until light winds increased the difficulty of sailing conditions, when they saw their positions start to drop. However, their success earlier in the week allowed them to hold their position in 1st place overall in the J/80 class.

J.A.T skipper, Chris Taylor said: “We are all so happy to have won the Aberdeen Asset Management Under 25 Trophy this year. It was a brilliant week’s sailing with some tricky wind conditions pushing the crew to the best of their abilities. The Under 25 trophy is such a great way of encouraging youth teams to enter into Cowes Week, and without Aberdeen’s support we wouldn’t have been able to compete.”

Jill Maxwell, Sponsorship and Events Manager at Aberdeen Asset Management said: “This was one of the initiatives we were most proud of at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week this year and so we are delighted to award the crew of J.A.T with the Aberdeen Asset Management Under 25 Trophy, they’re really worthy winners! We hope that the trophy continues to grow and that it will encourage more young crews to enter the regatta and to compete for the title.”

Stuart Quarrie, CEO of Cowes Week Limited (CWL) added: “We have had another fantastic week, and it’s great to see Aberdeen Asset Management’s continued support for young sailors at the regatta. The initiative provides a great opportunity for young crews to have a truly rewarding experience at one of the world’s most prestigious sailing events at a reduced cost.”