NZL Sailing Foundation Youth Team: Four NZ crews in top 10 after tricky Day 1 of Youth Worlds

George Lee Rush and Seb Menzies (NZL) - 29er - 2022 Youth Worlds - The Hague - July 2022 © Sailing Energy

Four New Zealand boats are in the top 10 after a tricky opening day of the World Sailing Youth Championships being staged at The Hague and sailed in light 6-11 knot breezes, strong current and messy chop.

The Youth Sailing World Championships is not the usual time and place for a double-handed combination to have their first race together but that's the reality for New Zealand sailors Helena Sanderson and Cam McGlashan.

The pair teamed up in a Nacra 15 in March to prepare for this week's youth worlds and last night's three races were their first at a regatta together in the class. They came away sitting in sixth overall, leaving them in a handy position with four more days of racing at youth sailing's pinnacle event.

Sanderson and McGlashan were one of four New Zealand boats to sit in the top 10 after a tricky opening day at The Hague, better known as the finishing port for the last Volvo Ocean Race.

George Lee Rush and Seb Menzies are sixth in the boy's 29er, Hugo Wigglesworth seventh in the boy's kitefoiling and Lucas Day and Sam Scott ninth in the boy's 420.

Sanderson is one of two members of this year's NZL Sailing Foundation Youth Team who have previous youth worlds experience - Menzies is the other - having finished sixth in the Nacra 15 as a 15-year-old in 2019.

She's since competed in two Nacra 17 world championships and last week was part of the Live Ocean Racing team who finished second in the latest round of the ETF26 Grand Prix Series.

"I think it was a pretty solid first day," Sanderson said. "We kept it pretty simple and just chipped away. We were happy with our speed downwind, that’s where we can make a lot of gains, and have a few things to take through to the next few days.

"There were a few things today that kept us getting the top points so we’ll look to nail those over the next few days. We'll look to do the basics right and trust that the results will take care of themselves."

It's an approach that will be mirrored elsewhere in the team, especially as this is the first time New Zealand sailors have competed at the youth worlds in three years.

Light winds and confused seas are forecast for the second day of racing and race management have already announced delays for some classes in the hope more wind will arrive in the afternoon.

Results and standings after Day 1 of the Youth Sailing World Championships in The Hague:

Boy's kitefoiling (19 boards) 1st: Maximilian Maeder (SGP) (3) 1 2 1 - 4 points 2nd: Riccardo Pianosi (ITA) 1 (2) 1 2 - 4 pts 3rd: Jakub Jurowski (POL) 2 3 3 (11) - 8 pts

7th: Hugo Wigglesworth (NZL) 9 (DNC) 7 7 - 23 pts

Nacra 15 (14 boats)

1st: Garcia de la Casa / Garcia de la Casa (ESP) 2 (4) 1 - 3 pts 2nd: Grandjean / Fehlmann (SUI) 1 (2) 2 - 3 pts 3rd: Rideau / Moreau (FRA) (4) 1 3 - 4 pts

6th: Helena Sanderson / Cam McGlashan (NZL) 5 (6) 4 - 9 pts

Girl's ILCA 6 (56 boats)

1st: Eve McMahon (IRL) 2 1 - 3 pts 2nd: Evie Saunders (AUS) 1 7 - 8 pts 3rd: Roos Wind (NED) 4 4 - 8 pts

37th: Teaghan Denney (NZL) 33 41 - 74 pts

Boy's ILCA 6 (61 boats)

1st: Sebastian Kempe (BER)1 1 - 2 pts 2nd: Yogev Alcalay (ISR) 5 3 - 8 pts 3rd: Ole Schweckendiek (GER) 8 2 - 10 pts

11th: Caleb Armit (NZL) 4 24 - 28 pts

Girl's 29er (23 boats)

1st: Gout / Babin (FRA) 1 1 (5) - 2 pts 2nd: Ichihashi / Goto (JPN) 2 (3) 2 - 4 pts 3rd: Stenhagen / Halstensen (NOR) 4 (UFD) 1 - 5 pts

21st: Lucy Leith / Lizzie Shapland (NZL) (20) 18 16 - 34 pts

Boy's 29er (24 boats)

1st: Videla / Funes de Rioja (ARG) (1) 1 1 - 2 pts 2nd: Devaux / Enael (FRA) (4) 3 2 - 5 pts 3rd: Sesto Cosby / Wilkinson (GBR) (17) 2 3 - 5 pts

6th: George Lee Rush / Seb Menzies (NZL) (7) 4 7 - 11 pts

Girl's 420 (21 boats)

1st: Wehrie / Rinn (GER) 5 1 - 6 pts 2nd: Maria Perelio Mora (ESP) 1 6 - 7 pts 3rd: Deguchi / Miyamoto (JPN) 4 4 - 8 pts

19th: Nicola Hume / Daniella Wooldridge (NZL) 21 17 - 38 pts

Boy's 420 (23 boats) 1st: Levy / Gal (ISR) 1 1 - 2 pts 2nd: Sotiriou / Michalopoulos (GRE) 5 4 - 9 pts 3rd: Barcelo / Villamueva (ESP) 2 10 - 12 pts

9th: Lucas Day / Sam Scott (NZL) 11 7 - 18 pts

Girl's windfoiling (29 boards)

1st: Merve Vatah (TUR) (1) 1 1 1 - 3 pts 2nd: Tamar Steinberg (ISR) (1) 1 1 1 - 3 pts 3rd: Lina Erzen (SLO) (DNF) 3 5 3 - 11 pts

15th: Aimee Bright (NZL) (DNF) 13 17 11 - 41 pts

Boy's windfoiling (31 boards)

1st: Hidde van der Meer (NED) 1 (3) 1 1 - 3 pts 2nd: Charlie Dixon (GBR) 1 1 (3) 1 - 3 pts 3rd: Davis Mazais (LAT) 3 5 3 (7) 11 pts

30th: Jack Parr (NZL) (DNS) 25 27 27 - 79 pts

Full results click here