2016 Youth Match Racing World Championships Preview

by Turtle Com on 18 May 2016 2016 Youth Match Racing World Championships -In 30 days, New Caledonia, a French Island in the South Pacific, will host the Youth Match Racing World Championships. Ten teams will compete.

Participants have been invited from as far as Denmark, the United States and Japan to as close as neighbours, Australia and New-Zealand. Each team consists of three - four members across a wide range of skill levels and experience lead by skippers holding a gamut of World Sailing rankings from Robin Follin's 28th, at the top of the range, to Matthew Hughe's 548th. All competitors must be under 23 years of age until the 31st of December 2016.

All participate at the Youth Match Racing World Championship in a bid to become world champion and climb the World Sailing Rankings.

Nouméa Yacht Club (CNC) is hosting the competition on an isolated Island in front of Noumea, the main city. Competitors from six nations will sail in paradise, in the biggest lagoon of the world, surrounded by turtles and tropical fish.

Throughout the week the Race Committee will run a series of qualifying rounds, by way of a round robin, giving everyone a fair chance at competing with each other. Teams will rotate through 8 identical Elliott 6m sailboats.

Basic information: The event is a World Sailing Grade W event. The Organizing Authority is Cercle Nautique Caledonien in conjunction with World Sailing. Only skippers invited by World Sailing are eligible to enter this event. The event will be sailed in Elliott 6m type boats. Eight boats are provided. The following sails will be provided for each boat: mainsail, jib and symmetrical spinnaker. Boats will be allocated by draw, either daily or for each round as decided by the Technical Delegate. The number of crew (including the skipper) shall be three or four. All registered crew shall sail all races. The maximum total crew weight, determined prior to racing shall be 262.5kg, when wearing at least shorts and shirts.

Click here to view the Notice of Race.