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New Zealand’s skiff sailors take on the best Europe has to offer this week, with particular interest in two of the country’s leading crews.
The 2023 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European championships start in Vilamoura, Portugal overnight (NZ time) and double as the first of two selection trial events for the Paris Olympic Games.
With only one spot in the 49er class available at next year’s showpiece event, the race is on between Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn, and Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie.
McHardie and McKenzie’s top-10 finish at the sailing world championships in The Hague in August secured country qualification and the focus now turns to which outfit will earn the right to be on the start line in just over eight months.
The European champs will also feature two up-and-coming Kiwi crews in Sam and Pat Morgan, and Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush, as well as many of the top teams in the world this year – including the Netherlands’ Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken.
Dunning Beck and Gunn have had a mixed season – claiming silver at the Lanzarote International Regatta in February and winning gold at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Spain in April, before finishing deeper in the fleet than they would have liked at the French Olympic Week in Hyeres.
The duo also missed out on a spot at the Olympic test event in Marseille – widely regarded as the dress rehearsal for the Games – to McHardie and McKenzie and, by their admission, struggled at the world champs.
“It’s been a fairly difficult season, but we did start the year with a bang, and we are still the only Kiwi team to win a major regatta this season,” Dunning Beck said.
“It’s been a bit of a reset since The Hague, and we have made some improvements to the basics as that's where we have struggled."
Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie make up one of the two top Kiwi 49er crews battling it out at the European championships in Portugal from next week. The other team is Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn (banner picture). Photos / Sailing Energy
McHardie and McKenzie, meanwhile, have been consistently near the front of the international fleets, and won bronze at the Princess Sofia Regatta.
“We’ve been pretty consistent but we’re hoping to really step things up in Vilamoura and be in the medal positions, rather than just outside of them,” McKenzie said.
“The test event was excellent preparation for the Olympics, but this event is even bigger for us. It’s the first of two trials and we want to ensure we are at our very best when it matters.”
The pair have worked hard on their starts since the world champs.
“It has been a weakness for us this season, but we feel we’ve made some good gains in recent months. Now it’s time to see how much we’ve improved.”
Also in action in Portugal are Jo Aleh and Molly Meech in the 49erFX and Nacra 17 team Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson – with both teams on course for Olympic selection.
Aleh and Meech have shown steady progress since first teaming up together at the start of 2022 and achieved a season-best sixth place at the worlds.
Wilkinson and Dawson finished eighth in The Hague and managed a third place at the pre-regatta event in Vilamoura a week ago.
