NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team back in action on Day 4 in Croatia

by Jodie Bakewell-White on 14 Jul 2011
Racing resumed last night after a rest day for most at the 41st Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship 2011 in Zadar, Croatia.

With two days to run the regatta heads into the business end of competition for the twelve strong NZL Sailing Team representing New Zealand.

Team Manager, Ian Neely says, 'Today we had three to seven knots of southerly and flat water - a bit more shifty that the sea breeze, but still very hot. The forecast for tomorrow says no wind.'

New Zealand is in the top ten in three of the eight classes racing in Croatia including top five standings in the SL16 open multihull and the 29er skiff at this stage in the series.

Tomer Simhony and Ellie Copeland continue to battle it out in the multihull where they are now placed third overall after a total of nine races, placing third and seventh in two races sailed overnight.

Denmark’s multi sailors have overtaken them in the standings climbing to second with a slightly better performance on the water on day four. Just two points separate second and third on the leader-board.

Lowy and Andrade from Brazil have gold well and truly in their sights adding yet another two wins to their card and extending their lead to 26 points.

A third and a 15th from kiwis Jack Simpson and Logan Dunning-Beck sailing in the 29er drops them to fifth place overall with some work to do on the penultimate day to get back into medal contention.

Georgia Schofield is in seventh place in the girl’s RS:X after a fifth and an eighth in racing on day five of the competition for her.

New Zealand’s Michael Cate, sailing in the boy’s Laser Radial had his best day of the regatta so far with a second and an eighth on the water improving his overall standing to 14th place.

Racing resumes for the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team tonight in what will be the penultimate day of the regatta, with just one race scheduled per fleet for the final day.

This prestigious youth regatta has attracted a total of 349 sailors from 52 countries to the city of Zadar, in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. The regatta schedule includes six race days and one reserve day (Tuesday 12th July) with a total of twelve races possible in each of the ten classes if conditions are favourable. Medals will be decided on the final day of competition, Friday 15th July, in Zadar.

Yachting New Zealand will issue daily reports focussing on the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team during the regatta, and you can follow the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team via the team's Facebook page.

2011 Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships, Zadar, Croatia
NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team standings after Day 5

3rd Tomer Simhony and Ellie Copeland (Open Multihull – 14 entries)
7th Georgia Schofield (Female RS:X Wind surfing – 20 entries)
13th Sven Pedersen (Male RS:X Wind surfing – 34 entries)
25th Verity Judge and Gemma Jones (Female 420 – 31 entries)
19th Alexander Munro and Brad Moss (Male 420 – 34 entries)
5th Jack Simpson and Logan Dunning-Beck (29er – 23 entries)
14th Michael Cate (Male Laser Radial – 50 entries)
20th Molly Meech (Female Laser Radial – 41 entries)

Team Manager: Ian Neely
Coaches: Shelley Hesson and Jim Maloney

Links:
http://www.isafyouthworlds.com/editions/2011/index.php!Regatta_website
http://www.facebook.com/NZLYouthTeam!Facebook_link for NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team