By Jena Carr
Two cadet sailors have returned to Geelong after a first place win across the sea in the United Kingdom.
Sailing cadets Josh Garner and Jack Benyan were named the Cadet Class World Championship’s world champions after they competed in Plymouth.
Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) captain Brendan Garner said his son Josh had “certainly put in the hard work” in achieving the win, which the RGYC celebrated with a victory party on September 6.
He said he was also proud of the achievements Josh and his other son Will put into competing, along with his eldest son Ben, an assistant coach on the team.
“As a parent, you want to see your kids achieve their goals. It was a really nice moment to see all that hard work that they had put in really paid off,” Mr Garner said.
“I sailed the cadets and actually sailed in the same place as the kids this year in Plymouth back in 1992, but with nowhere near the success that they have.
“Last year, he (Josh) missed out on the Australian team by one point, which gave him a real drive to do everything he possibly could to make sure that he made it this year.
“As a club captain, I’ve been quite involved with the cadet class, which is one of our junior classes, for a long time, and the quality of kids that are coming out of the sailing program is incredible.”
The victory party also celebrated the achievements of Cate McCoy, who secured 10th place with Will Garner, along with Will Farnell and Louis Davis, who finished 15th during the competition.
