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Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie are off to a strong start in their bid for Olympic selection at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European championships in Vilamoura, Portugal.
The 49er duo continued their consistent run of form this season by winning their only race of a curtailed opening day of the event to sit atop the leaderboard in a fleet of 91 boats.
They are tied for first with the Spanish and Swiss teams after only one race in their qualifying group (one of three) was possible due to a dying breeze in the afternoon.
McHardie and McKenzie led from start to finish after getting off the line well – something they have been working on since their return from the sailing world championships in The Hague in August, where they finished fourth.
“We had just one race in extremely light conditions, but we were lucky enough to have a good start and find some space,” McKenzie said.
“Our starts have been a weakness for us this season, but we feel we’ve made some good gains in recent months.”
McHardie and McKenzie have made a strong start at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European championships. Photo / Sailing Energy
McKenzie and McHardie finished fifth at the Olympic test event in Marseille in July, and sixth at the French Olympic week in Hyeres in April, a fortnight after winning bronze at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma de Mallorca.
“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 earlier.
The European championships are the first of two Olympic selection trials for the men's and women's skiff classes and the mixed multihull.
McHardie and McKenzie are one of four New Zealand 49er crews vying for the sole country spot in the class at next year's Paris Olympic Games. While all eyes will be on their battle with compatriots Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn over the coming days, it was another Kiwi crew who impressed yesterday.
Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush finished third in their only qualifying race to sit seventh overall.
The young duo, who switched to the 49er late last year following international success in the 29er and 49erFX, are six points ahead of Sam and Pat Morgan (25th), and 12 points ahead of Dunning Beck and Gunn (43rd).
It was a tough start to the regatta for Jo Aleh and Molly Meech, who are 48th in the 55-boat 49erFX fleet following scores of 22 and 23 in their opening two qualifying races.
Aleh and Meech finished sixth at the sailing world championships - their best result since teaming up in early 2022 - but struggled in the light conditions overnight.
Italians Jana Germani and Giorgia Bertuzzi were the early leaders.
Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson are tenth after one race in the 38-strong Nacra 17 class, with Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet leading.
Results and standings after day 1 of the 2023 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European championships in Vilamoura, Portugal.
49er fleet (91 boats)
1st: Isaac McHardie/Will McKenzie (NZ), Martin Wizner/Jaime Wizner (Esp), Sebastien Schneiter/Arno de Planta (Sui) 1 - 1 pt
7th: Seb Menzies/George Lee Rush (NZ) 3 - 3 pts
25th: Sam Morgan/Pat Morgan (NZ) 9 - 9 pts
43rd: Logan Dunning Beck/Oscar Gunn (NZ) 15 - 15 pts
49erFX fleet (55 boats)
1st: Jana Germani/Giorgia Bertuzzi (Ita) 1 1 - 2 pts
2nd: Josefine Nojgaard/Esther Bojsen-Moller (Den) 4 2 - 6 pts
3rd: Sarah Steyaert/Charline Picon (Fra) 3 3 - 6 pts
48th: Jo Aleh/Molly Meech (NZ) 22 23 - 45 pts
Nacra 17 fleet (38 boats)
1st: John Gimson/Anna Burnet (GBR) 1 - 1 pt
2nd: Gianluigi Ugolini/Maria Giubilei (Ita) 2 - 2 pts
3rd: Ruben Booth/Rita Booth (Aus) 3 - 3 pts
10th: Micah Wilkinson/Erica Dawson (NZ) 10 - 10 pts
Full results here.
