Kiwi Youth Sailors take off for International Regattas

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Issue date

5 Jul 2016

31 of New Zealand’s Youth sailors will head off to their respective class World Championships over the coming month.

Travelling to different destinations to compete at the 29er World Champs, 420 World Champs and Laser Radial World Champs the travelling kiwi youth contingent is far and away the largest on record.

All 31 sailors have benefitted through training and coaching at Yachting New Zealand’s Aon National Youth Clinics and are well prepared to take on their international counterparts and gain some big fleet international race experience.

Yachting New Zealand’s Talent Development Manager Ian Neely says, “I am really excited to have so many young sailors heading overseas to take on the world.”

“We have good coaches going with all the groups, and a lot of very of passionate and supportive parents ensuring these sailors get to their events and are well supported at them.”

“The Class Associations have also worked hard to lend their support to these events with added coaches because of the high numbers of sailors attending.”

“It is a huge team effort from all parties and should be really exciting to get in amongst these 200 plus boat fleets in each class. I personally can’t wait.”

The long list of traveling youth sailors includes:

29er World Championships
24^th – 30^th July, Medemblik

Emma French and Saffron Nixon
Crystal Sun and Zelda Ladefoged
Greta Stewart and Kate Stewart
Lewis Anderson and Pat Morgan
Sebastian Lardies and Scott Mckenzi
Sam Morgan and Ben Nathan
Jackson Keon and Tom Fyfe
Francesco Kayrouz and Oscar Gun
Anne Huebner and Olivia Hobbs (sailing under the German flag but are members of the Kohimarama Yacht Club, and based in New Zealand)

420 World Championships
15^th-23^rd July, San Remo, Italy