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World championships selection is on the line this weekend at the Yachting New Zealand 29er and Nacra 15 youth trials.
Fran Kayrouz and Jackson Keon won this year's 29er world title in Hong Kong. Photo: RHKYC
The trials represent the final nomination regatta for the NZL Sailing Foundation youth team to compete at July's youth sailing world championships in Corpus Christi in the United States.
Some tight racing is expected over four days at the Kohimarama Yacht Club this weekend, especially in the boy's 29er which has seen some close battles between the Kohimarama combination of Seb Lardies and Scott McKenzie and Fran Kayrouz and Jackson Keon (Wakatere / Murrays Bay).
Lardies and McKenzie won last year's youth trials on countback over Kayrouz and Keon and went on to finish eighth at the world championships in China. Kayrouz and Keon then went on to claim the 29er world championships in Hong Kong soon after, with Lardies and McKenzie fifth (they were fifth the previous year as well).
Those two combinations are being pushed by a cluster of other 29er crews just behind them, highlighted by the fact six New Zealand combinations finished in the top 20 at the class world championships.
"It's going to be fantastic," Yachting New Zealand youth co-ordinator Stu Thomas said. "All the teams have been training hard and are looking forward to getting into it.
"The boy's 29er looks like it's going to be the most competitive fleet and the girl's 29er is wide open with a lot of newcomers to the class."
Crystal Sun and Olivia Hobbs, who competed at last year's youth worlds and were the leading female team at the 29er world championships, are too old to qualify and recently moved up to the 49erFX.
Three crews have entered the Nacra 15, two of whom will also compete at next month's Nacra 15 world championships in Barcelona. Greta Stewart went to last year's youth sailing world championships and has teamed up with Tom Fyfe with her previous partner, Henry Haslett, now too old to qualify.
Stewart and Fyfe (Murrays Bay) will come under pressure from Bay of Islands duo Hamish McLaren and Rebecca Morgan as well as Helena Sanderson and Jack Honey (Kohimarama).
Four sailors - Josh Armit (Laser Radial), Samantha Stock (Laser Radial), Max van der Zalm (RS:X) and Veerle van Have (RS:X) - have so far been confirmed in the NZL Sailing Foundation youth team to compete at Corpus Christi. The selectors will meet after the 29er and Nacra 15 regatta to confirm the rest of the squad for the youth sailing world championships.
