Youth Worlds - NZL Team strong in big breeze on Day 2 Worlds

by Jodie Bakewell-White on 31 Dec 2015 Day 2 at the ISAF Youth World Sailing Championships in Malaysia brought more of the same as day one – plenty of wind.

Strong offshore breezes again dominated the day and the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team responded well in tricky conditions. Seven of the New Zealand crews now sit in the top ten including four in the top four.

Both 29er teams put on a particularly dominant performance with the boys, Jackson Keon and Nick Egnot-Johnson (pictured), scoring a perfect 1, 1, 1 and the girls, Greta and Kate Stewart, scoring 1, 2, 2. Both have now moved up into second overall and are in a good position after two days of tight racing.

In an animated interview 29er boys helm Jackson Keon reported, “it was good.”

His team mate, Nick Egnot Johnston, was full of the quotes journalists can only dream of and reported it was, “good conditions for us today - nice and windy and choppy. It reminded us of sailing back in New Zealand.”

“It is tight competition and we are happy to come away with some good results”.

The 420 boys’ team of Jono Weston and Taylor Balogh came out firing scoring a fifth and a second and have leapt up the scoreboard to currently sit in 10th overall. After a shaky start yesterday they put their improved performance today down to being, “freaking quick!”

New Zealand’s 420 girls, Kerensa Jennings and Chelsea Rees, had a challenging day, at one point running aground in the mud on the edges of the channel. However they recovered well and are currently sitting in sixth overall.

Laser Radial representatives Ali Nightingale and George Gautrey are both currently sitting in fourth, narrowly behind the top three positions posting 4, 5 and 3, OCS respectively.

Big breezes made racing challenging on the RS:X course with Lauren Mackenzie posting 8, 9, 9 and Finn Croft 14, 19, 21.

In even more exciting news the SL16 gear has finally arrived at the venue! The SL16 sailors were able to get out on the water for a practice race today and are excited to finally get into racing tomorrow.

Racing resume sin the morning with the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team for another big day tomorrow.

2015 ISAF Youth World Sailing Championships - NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team current standings

2nd Greta and Kate Stewart – 29er girls –2nd (6, 8, 1, 2, 2)
2nd Jackson Keon and Nick Egnot-Johnson – 29er boys – second (5, 9, 8, 1, 1, 1)
4th Ali Nightingale – Laser Radial girls – fourth (1, 19, 4, 5)
4th George Gautrey – Laser Radial boys – fourth (7, 2, 3, OCS)
6th Kerensa Jennings and Chelsea Rees – 420 girls – sixth (5, 2, 21, 12)
10th Lauren Mackenzie – RS:X girls – 10th (5, 15, 10, 8, 9, 9)
10th Jono Weston and Taylor Balogh – 420 boys – 10th (18, 19, 5, 2)
22nd Finn Croft – RS:X boys – 22nd (20, 20, 16, 14, 19, 21)

Full results at click here

More about the ISAF Youth World Championships

The ISAF Youth World Championships feature racing for up and comers under 19 years of age and includes the Laser Radial, RS:X, 29er, 420 and SL16 classes. The regatta will run from 27 December 2015 through until 3 January 2016 on the Malaysian island of Langkawi.

Plenty of the world’s best known yachtsmen and women have competed and medalled at the ISAF Youth World Championships which date back to 1971.

Among the list of New Zealanders to have stood on the ISAF Youth Worlds podium are 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 ISAF run event is coming to the southern hemisphere for the first time in 15 years and as a consequence the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team will miss Christmas and New Year in New Zealand with departure planned for 23 December. The last time the regatta was hosted south of the equator was in 2000 in Sydney, Australia.

The team is proudly supported by the following…
NZL Yachting Trust, Oceanbridge Shipping, ZHIK, HPSNZ