NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team consolidates on day two in Croatia

As predicted light winds once again challenged sailors on day two of the 41st Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship 2011, on now in Zadar, Croatia.

The 2011 NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team were back on the water with just one race for some, two or three races possible in other fleets.

“Winds were a steady three to six knots,” reports Ian Neely, Team Manager. “Consistency at this stage is the name of the game. It was a very hot and long day, with seven hours on the water for some.”

Tomer Simhony and Ellie Copeland sailing for New Zealand in the SL16 multihull event consolidated on their day one performance adding a fourth, a sixth and a fifth in the three races sailed.

This is enough to see them retain their place in second overall, while Lowy and Andrade of Brazil have asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with out in front, clean-sweeping three wins today and opening up a nine point gap on the kiwis. Simhony and Copeland are three points clear of third place at the end of day two.

Over on the 29er course Jack Simpson and Logan Dunning-Beck have moved from 11th on the board up into third place after a good set of race results overnight. They came off the water with a fifth, a second and a seventh from the second day of racing.

With a total of five races now sailed in the 29er skiff event each pair is able to discard their worst race score – for Simpson and Dunning-Back this is a 22nd from day one – which aids their dramatic climb up the overall standings. They’re now just one point off second place, but have plenty of sailors hot on their heels in this competitive fleet, so they will be looking to continue their good form.

Points are tight and competition is hot in the boy’s 420 event where New Zealand’s pair, Alex Munro and Brad Moss is demonstrating they can foot it with their international rivals. Just three races have been sailed in total in this class, the kiwis adding a fourth place to the score card overnight and climbing from 13th to seventh in the standings.

It’s been a pumping battle for the windsurfers in the light winds at this regatta so far and Georgia Schofield has put in another solid day for New Zealand in the girl’s RS:X fleet. Two races were staged overnight in which she placed eighth and seventh putting her in sixth place overall at the end of day two.

Racing will continue again tonight (NZ time) in Croatia, after which the event hits the midway mark and a rest day for sailors on Tuesday, following which they get back to business.

This prestigious youth regatta has attracted a total of 349 sailors from 52 countries to the city of Zadar, in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. The regatta schedule includes six race days and one reserve day (Tuesday 12th July) with a total of twelve races possible in each of the ten classes if conditions are favourable. Medals will be decided on the final day of competition, Friday 15th July, in Zadar.

Yachting New Zealand will issue daily reports focussing on the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team during the regatta, and you can follow the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team via their Facebook page.

2011 Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships, Zadar, Croatia
NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team standings after day two

2nd Tomer Simhony and Ellie Copeland (Open Multihull – 14 entries)
6th Georgia Schofield (Female RS:X Wind surfing – 20 entries)
16th Sven Pedersen (Male RS:X Wind surfing – 34 entries)
21st Verity Judge and Gemma Jones (Female 420 – 31 entries)
7th Alexander Munro and Brad Moss (Male 420 – 34 entries)
3rd Jack Simpson and Logan Dunning-Beck (29er – 23 entries)
13th Michael Cate (Male Laser Radial – 50 entries)
32nd Molly Meech (Female Laser Radial – 41 entries)

Team Manager: Ian Neely
Coaches: Shelley Hesson and Jim Maloney