AROUND 100 future Olympic sailing hopefuls took to the water at Pennington Flash at the weekend for the 2012 RYA Volvo West Zone Championships.

On the final day of the regatta, Lucy Mearns of Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club capitalised on the day’s conditions to secure the first girl’s placing and third overall in the topper dinghy section.

Clubmate Archie Leckie was second in the Optimist fleet.

London 2012 silver medallist Stuart Bithell was in attendance to inspire the young sailors with details of his journey from junior to Olympic sailing, and talked about his recent exploits where he won a silver medal in the 470 class.