Youth world champs: Solid start for Kiwi sailors on weather-hit opening day
The NZL Sailing Foundation team are up and running at the World Sailing Youth World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, following an opening day defined by light and inconsistent winds.
After long delays both ashore and on the water, organisers were able to squeeze in limited qualifying races across just four of the 10 fleets - ILCA 6, 29er, 420 and Nacra 15. Six other classes, including the iQFOiL, kitefoil and the girls’ skiff and two-person dinghy fleets, were unable to race at all on day one.
Despite the stop-start nature of proceedings, several Kiwi crews made solid early progress as the regatta slowly got underway.
In the boys’ 29er, Will Leech and Will Mason showed encouraging pace across the two races completed, finishing fourth and 16th to sit ninth overall after the opening day of qualifying.
Cam Brown and Oli Stone also opened their campaign in steady fashion in the boys’ 420, placing 10th in the sole race sailed in that fleet to hold 10th overall heading into day two.
There was one race completed in each of the ILCA 6 fleets, with New Zealand sailors securing valuable early scores. Chloe Turner crossed the line 13th in the girls’ ILCA 6 and sits 13th overall, while Tom Pilkington finished 18th in the boys’ ILCA 6 to hold the same position in the competitive 57-boat fleet.
Several members of the NZL Sailing Foundation team were forced to remain patient as the breeze failed to fill in. No racing was possible in the girls’ 29er for Jess Handley and Bella Jenkins, or the girls’ 420 for Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson. Likewise, iQFOiL sailors Ben Rist and Daniella Wooldridge, along with boys’ kitefoiler Toby Wigglesworth, are yet to begin their championships.
Internationally, Italy capitalised on the limited racing opportunities to top multiple leaderboards on day one, but the focus for the New Zealand team will be on building consistency as the forecast hopefully delivers more wind later in the week.
Latest results and standings here.
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