2026 NZ ILCA national championships: World-class fleets set early pace on tight opening day in Bay of Islands
It’s tight at the top of the leaderboard after a challenging opening day of the New Zealand ILCA national championships in the Bay of Islands, with world-class names already locked in close contests across the fleets off Russell.
Two demanding races were sailed in 10–15 knots of NNW breeze, with tide, shifts and pressure testing even the best. The rain stayed away, but not the drama, as the racing delivered plenty of swims and shake-ups.
In the ILCA 7, Dutch star Duko Bos leads by a single point after a win and a second, just ahead of Kiwi George Gautrey, who struck back with victory in race two. Finn Lynch (Ireland), Micky Beckett (Britain) and Ryan Lo (Singapore) complete a stacked top five, with defending national champion Caleb Armit close behind. Nik Burfoot heads the Masters from Sean Atherton-Feeney and Scott Leith.
The ILCA 6 mirrors the script: Erika Reineke (USA) holds a one-point lead over Australia's Frances Beebe, with Kiwi Olympian Greta Pilkington and former men's world champion George Lane leading the local charge. Among the youth sailors, Australian Jackson Black leads the Kiwi trio of Aaron Begic, Toby Dunn and Miro Luxford, who are all tied on points. They are followed by leading youth woman and current under-17 world champion Chloe Turner.
As expected, Phil Wild stamped his authority on the Masters division with two bullets, while in the ILCA 4, Nathan Soper, Amy Wu and Sofia Turner are deadlocked at the top.
Click here for the latest results and standings.
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A large contingent of elite overseas sailors will line up alongside the cream of the New Zealand ILCA fleet for what promises to be four days of high-quality racing at the 2026 ILCA national championships in the Bay of Islands.
