NZL Sailing Team count the days to racing at 2014 ISAF Sailing Worlds

by Jodie Bakewell-White on 8 Sep 2014 Today in Santander, Northern Spain marks the start of the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships with the world’s crème de la crème of Olympic sailing counting down to the start of racing over the coming week.

Starting with the single-handed Laser (men) and Radial (women) classes, racing kicks off on 12 September with the medals to be decided across all ten sailing events between 18 and 21 September.

Registration and equipment inspection is underway at this year’s pinnacle event for all international Olympic sailing campaigners, and a kiwi team of 27 sailors will represent New Zealand.

Head-lining the NZL Sailing Team are three crews who will defend their 2013 world championship crowns including; Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (Women’s 470), Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (49er) and Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech (49erFX).

Olympic and world champion Jo Aleh says; 'The aim for Santander is to qualify the nation in the class and it's a world champs so of course we want to be up there and if we're not up there then we're going to be pretty annoyed. We'll take it as it comes. Hopefully we'll be competitive and there's a good bunch of girls right at the top so we'll have to see what happens.'

Helm of NZL Sailing Team 49er crew, Peter Burling says, 'We're quite enjoying having that New Zealand 1 on the sail at the moment and the goal is definitely to go and try and defend that title.'

Women’s skiff sailor Molly Meech, who is preparing in Santander, says; 'Coming off from a win at the worlds last year we're hoping to try and win. We'll do our best there but I've heard it's a tricky venue as well so we'll see how it goes. We would love to qualify New Zealand and obviously that is the aim of the event but our personal aim is to medal.'

National qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is also on offer at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships – read ISAF’s Qualification System for Rio 2016 for the details.

2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Santander, Spain
The New Zealand Team

Laser (Men’s single-handed dinghy)
Andy Maloney
Sam Meech
Thomas Saunders

Laser (Women’s single-handed dinghy)
Sara Winther
Susannah Pyatt
Ali Nightingale

Men’s RS:X Windsurfing
Jon-Paul Tobin

Women’s RS:X Windsurfing
Natalia Kosinska

Women’s 470 (double-handed dinghy)
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie

Men’s 470 (double-handed dinghy)
Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox

49er Skiff
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke
Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski
Logan Dunning-Beck and Jack Simpson

49erFX Skiff
Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech
Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland

Nacra 17 (mixed multihull)
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders

Finn (men’s heavy-weight dinghy)
Andrew Murdoch
Josh Junior
Karl Purdie

Support and Coaching:
Jez Fanstone , Nathan Handley, Mark Howard, Dave Robertson, Ian Neely , John Cutler, Hamish Willcox, Will Howden, Peter Evans, Grant Beck, Louise Johnson, Rebecca van Weerd