One of the world's leading yachting events will be held on the Shore this month. The 2016 Youth Sailing World Championships will be sailed at the Torbay Sailing Club from December 14th through to the 20th. The event is open to sailors aged 19 and under.
Yachting New Zealand got the chance to host the event at quite late notice after the scheduled host nation Oman Sailing Committee exercised the right to withdraw their hosting of the event. Yachting New Zealand and World Sailing (the governing body for the sport of sailing, officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee) are organising the event that will involve seven sailing days at Torbay Sailing Club.
“Hosting this world event is very exciting for the North Shore, Auckland and New Zealand," says Yachting New Zealand's North Shore based Chief Executive David Abercrombie. "The circumstances provided us with a unique opportunity to host this prestigious youth sailing event and we’re thrilled to be working with World Sailing to deliver a fantastic event.
“New Zealanders are great at hosting sporting events and the sailing and boating community is among the best at it. We’re a nation of yachties and boaties, we have incredible sailing waters and we have some of the best race management people in the world. The 2016 edition of the Youth World Championships will be quintessentially Kiwi and everyone who is coming New Zealand – and the Shore – this December for this world event will remember this experience for a lifetime.”
The lead sponsor is world-wide insurance broking firm Aon, already a strong supporter of yachting in New Zealand. Other supporters are New Zealand Major Events and ATEED and the Hibiscus Coast Bays Local Board.
The event will attract around 400 young sailors (from approximately 70 countries) plus family and supporters to the North Shore and Auckland, bringing benefit to the local community and to young sailors throughout New Zealand.
The Youth Sailing World Championship was first held in Angelholm, Sweden in 1971 where 16 nations competed. In 2015 the event was held in Langkawi, Malaysia, with 76 nations taking part. That event was won by Australia, the current holders of the 'Nations Trophy', which is awarded to the best overall nation at each Youth Sailing World Championship. New Zealand has won the Nations Trophy twice – 1994 in Greece and again in 2002 when it was held in Canada.
New Zealanders to have stood on the World Sailing Youth Worlds podium are Sam Meech (2008 Bronze, Laser Radial), Alex Maloney (2010 Silver, 29er), Jo Aleh (2004 Silver, Laser Radial), Sir Russell Coutts (1979 Silver, Laser and 1981 Gold, Laser), Blair Tuke (2007 Silver, 29er), Dean Barker (1990 Gold, Laser and 1991 Silver, Laser) and Stuart Bannatyne (1989 Gold, Laser).
The most successful Youth World Champions are Great Britain's Sally Cuthbert and Poland's Zofia Klepacka having won four successive titles in the Laser II and Mistral respectively. France is the most successful nation through the history of the Championship, winning the Nations Trophy on a record 11 occasions and holding a record 76 medals: 28 gold, 30 silver and 18 bronze.
Five classes of yachts will be sailed at this major World Sailing event. These are 420’s, 29’ers, Nacra 15, Laser Radial and RS:X Boards. Only one representative boat from each nation can take part in each class. Young North Shore sailors, and particularly the Murrays Bay Sailing Club, dominate the team representing New Zealand on their home waters.
The New Zealand team is sponsored by NZL Yachting Trust, Oceanbridge Shipping, ZHIK and High Performance Sport New Zealand.
“I am very excited about the raw talent we have in this year’s team,” says Yachting New Zealand’s Talent Development Manager Ian Neely. “We have a nice mixture of returning medallists from last year and young sailors attending their first World Sailing Youth Worlds. The World Sailing Youth World Championships provides its own unique set of challenges, and the event is regarded by many as a youth version of the Olympic Games with the limited entries, and high pressure racing."
Francesco Kayrouz (helmsman) and Oscar Gunn (crew) from the Murrays Bay Sailing Club have been chosen to compete in the 29'er Boys class. This was a result of winning the New Zealand Youth Trials at Gulf Harbour and doing well at the recent Open World's and the German Nationals held at Medemblik in Holland. While exams were getting in the way of their preparations when we caught up for a chat at Murrays Bay in November, Francesco and Oscar were still training twice a week around school commitments and during the weekends to ensure they are well tuned come December 14th.
"We are both excited about what lies ahead," said Oscar when asked his thoughts on the task ahead when the Youth Worlds kick off in mid-December. "We have a four day 'live-in' camp coming up in early December when the whole team will get together for training led by Ian Neely, supported by other Yachting New Zealand coaches. We will keep training on the water as well, although after December 1st the rules state we have to stay well away from the sailing waters off Torbay where the world's will be sailed."
Francesco and Oscar see the Australians and European crews being the toughest to beat. Having competed in Europe they say that the Europeans definitely have an advantage given their closeness to constant competition around the continent. Training all year round in the warmth of countries like Spain is also an advantage.
Other North Shore youngsters competing are the Stewart sisters, Kate and Greta, in the 29'er Girls class. They are currently based in Bermuda so preparation for the event has been on the other side of the world. This is their second time competing in the World's. They managed to get a bronze medal in the girls 29er class at the last event in Malaysia. They were fifth going into the last day, but managed to pull off a really strong finish to get the medal.
"We are both still at school here in Bermuda, so we have to fit in as much fitness and on-the-water time around our school day." Explained Kate, when we caught up with her in mid-November. "At least three times a week we’re at the gym before school working on cardio, strength and core. We then try to get out on the water twice after school. It's winter here at the moment, so daylight hours are short. On Thursdays we also have the afternoon off school to sail - so that’s great! Then in the weekend we try to sail both days, with one gym session. We are also lucky enough to be invited to Miami next week to join in the USA Olympic Development clinic. We attended these last year. Especially as we train by ourselves here in Bermuda with no training partners and no coach.
"We would love to be coming back for the Yachting New Zealand team training sessions in early December, but Mum is making us stay at school. We are planning to train at Murrays Bay for a couple of days with Oscar and Fran – the 29er NZ boys team. We then get our official event boat on the 14th - and it’s all go from there. We are fairly familiar with sailing off the North Shore in Auckland, as we’ve grown up in Devonport – so have done a lot of regattas here. Hopefully this will work in all Kiwis favour."
Greta adds that the 29'er Girls class that they will compete in is "an amazing fleet that is improving all the time".
"Both the gold and silver medalist from Malaysia are returning, as well as strong teams who performed well at the Open Worlds in Holland this year, like the Australians and the Polish. It’ll be super tough."
The full New Zealand team competing at the 2016 Aon Youth Sailing World Championships at Torbay is:- Olivia Christie, 17 years (Worser Bay Boating Club) Laser Radial Girls; George Gautrey, 18 years (Muritai Yacht Club) Laser Radial Boys; Patrick Haybittle, 17 years (RNZYS and Murrays Bay Sailing club) RS:X Boys; Greta Stewart, 16 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 29er Girls Skipper; Kate Stewart , 18 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 29er Girls Crew; Francesco Kayrouz, 13 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club and Wakatere Boating Club) 29er Boys Skipper; Oscar Gunn, 17 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 29er Boys Crew; Josh Berry, 15 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 420 Boys Skipper ; Henry Haslett, 17 years (Wakatere Boating Club) 420 Boys Crew; Courtney Reynolds-Smith, 16 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 420 Girls Skipper; Brianna Reynolds-Smith, 16 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 420 Girls Crew; Jackson Keon, 16 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) Multihull Skipper; Tom Fyfe, 16 years (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) Multihull Crew.
2016 Aon Youth Sailing World Championships:- Torbay Sailing Club, December 14-20th. Visit: www.isafyouthworlds.com
