Strong, shifty conditions for Kiwi's on day one of Youth Sailing World Champs

By Yachting NZ

Fuseworks·

16 Dec, 2016 06:30 AM3 mins to read

A game of snakes and ladders was how NZL Laser Radial sailor George Gautrey described the first day of racing in the Aon Youth Sailing World Championship held off Torbay in Auckland today.

A shifty offshore breeze of 17-24 knots combined with a choppy sea state made for tactically challenging, physically demanding conditions. (George is pictured above, Photo: Georgia Schofield - Sailing Energy/World Sailing)

"It was extremely tricky out there with shifts of 30-40 degrees, and you couldnt really predict what was coming down the course. So there were a few shifts I definitely got wrong," he explains.

His results reflected a strong start to the regatta however, following up a 6th in the first race with a 2nd which leaves him in 3rd overall after day one. Happy with his results, George says having a calm approach was key to doing well.

"You just had to sail to what you could see, and not get freaked out if it all went wrong as there were definitely lanes to come back in to get back up the race course. It was a good start to a long regatta, and Ive got a few keepers from today," he says.

Over in the 29er boys fleet New Zealands Francesco Kayrouz and Oscar Gunn are taking the positives out of their first days racing.

"It was pretty tough out there but we had good speed even though we didnt quite convert it today. Our starting was good - we just kept it simple," commented Oscar.

They are currently sitting in 11th after three races where they placed 12, 12, 11, and are feeling positive about tomorrow.

"Well treat it as a new day and try to capitalise on our strengths," he added.

Agreeing with the tricky conditions, 420 Kiwi twins Brianna and Courtney Reynolds-Smith say you "had to keep your wits about you."

"The wind was really unstable, with huge puffs and big lulls during our racing. It would go from 5 to 20 knots really quickly, which made it hard to read," says Brianna.

All in all, she says it was a "solid start" to a long regatta, and has a positive outlook for the next four days.

Todays racing followed a spectacular opening ceremony last night in downtown Auckland, which featured a sailors parade, Powhiri, and traditional Youth Worlds mixing of the waters ceremony at the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre.

With day one on the water wrapped up, the breeze is forecast to ease over the weekend with the first start time for tomorrow's racing scheduled at 0955.

Race days are 16-20 December.

NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team provisional results following the first day of the Aon Youth Sailing World Championship:

420 Boys

15th Josh Berry and Henry Haslett (13,13)

420 Girls

5th Courtney Reynolds-Smith and Brianna Reynolds-Smith (6,4)

29er Boys

11th Francesco Kayrouz and Oscar Gunn (12,12,11)

29er Girls

7th Greta Stewart and Kate Stewart (13,4,7)

Nacra 15

2nd Jackson Keon and Tom Fyfe (3,4,2)