Sailing: NZ youth in strong start against the best

All members of the 2013 NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team finished inside the top 10 after the first day at the Sail First ISAF youth world championships in Limassol, Cyprus, yesterday.

New Zealand has representative in five of the eight classes racing and Isaac McHardie and Micah Wilkinson lead the SL16 multihull fleet.

More than 350 sailors from 61 nations took to the water on the opening day of the regatta with all the kiwi crews sailing at least two races through the afternoon on a hot day in Cyprus. Temperatures soared to 30C plus and the steady afternoon sea breeze averaged around 15 knots, with some sailors on the water until close to 9pm.

YNZ Talent Development Manager, Ian Neely is happy with how things went. "The first day is a hard day to get right at this event, all the team did well," he said. "The aim was not to lose the regatta on the first day and just be close to the game, which everyone achieved. We are all happy and ready to focus again on the small things tomorrow."

McHardie and Wilkinson returned a dream start to the series with two race wins and one second place in their three races where they're up against 14 other international crews.

Isaac said: "It is good to have started racing and to have a good day on the water, there is a long way to go yet, so consistency is key."

"It was a solid day," adds Micah who crews with Isaac at the helm.

In the Boys 420 event, featuring 31 double-handed crews, the Tauranga duo of Sam Barnett and Zak Merton are in sixth place with 16 points after two solid race results - a 10th and a sixth on the water yesterday.

Olivia Mackay and Abby Goodwin are the next best placed of the Kiwi team in fourth overall in the girl's 420 class, sailing three races on day one.

With 27 boats in the fleet the New Zealand pair will be pleased with their opening day where they finished 10th, sixth and sixth to give them 22 points.

Markus Somerville and Jack Simpson, in the 29er skiff, are lying fifth after day one in the 29-strong fleet. They sailed three races in which they placed sixth, eighth and sixth giving them 20 points just one adrift of the Aussie crew in fourth.

Sailing in the largest of the fleets, Andrew McKenzie is up against 55 of the world's best youth single-handed sailors sailing the Radial rigged Laser. Andrew opened with a 24th then followed that with a second place to hold ninth overall at this early stage in the series.