Yachting: Torbay celebrates homegrown world champion

Blair McLay on the beach at Waiake on the North Shore where he learned to sail. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Blair McLay only has to walk 100m down his street and take a sharp left to be reminded of his world championship win.

A giant banner congratulating the 18-year-old on his world youth Laser Radial title hangs from the porch of the Torbay Yacht Club. McLay edged out Portuguese Frederico Melo by a solitary point to win the championship off the coast of Brazil last weekend.

The pair had battled each other for the lead during the 12-race regatta amidst a fleet of 100.

McLay had won all eight of his qualifying races but a seventh and a third on the penultimate day handed the advantage back to Melo.

With the pressure on, McLay sailed the last day like a pro, recording a win and a second, which was enough to secure him the title and have his name sit alongside greats Russell Coutts, Chris Dickson and Dean Barker who have also claimed world youth titles.

Born in Invercargill, McLay moved to Auckland when he was three, settling with his family in the sailing metropolis of Torbay which overlooks the Hauraki Gulf.

He started sailing when he was about eight because he didn't want to play cricket.

"I wanted to do a summer sport and the only thing I knew of was cricket."

The problem with cricket was he never got to bat, never got to bowl and generally spent all his time fielding.

"When I did bat, I always got out quite quickly," he concedes. "So when sailing came along I was like, 'Yay I'll do yachting instead'."

The first boat he sailed was a wooden Optimist called Hotshot. In 2002 he borrowed a Splash and won the national Splash championships then travelled to England to compete in the world championships, where he placed 6th.

It was after those championships he began in the Laser Radial.

As for role models, McLay says he has plenty.

"Of course it would be nice to be like Russell Coutts but there are a lot of people I take things from like Mark Orams and Murray Thom."

In his spare time McLay goes to church, he is a member of City Impact Church, and is learning to windsurf.

"I am looking at picking up a social sport," he says. "This year because I have been overseas so much there hasn't been much of an opportunity to do anything else but next year I am going to try."

He intends doing a Bachelor of Marine Technology at Unitec next year and is currently completing a boat-building course.

To raise the money to get to the Laser Radial youth worlds he worked for a timber joinery company "sweeping floors, doing dishes, deliveries and things".

The regatta in Brazil was McLay's third tilt at the world youth Laser Radial title. He placed sixth in 2003 and eighth last year before winning this year's event which signals the end of his time in the class. His full attention will now be on the Olympic standard Laser class.

Andrew Murdoch is New Zealand's top Laser sailor, placing third at this year's world championships. McLay finished 61st at the same event.

"I need to improve in every part of sailing. I guess it is kind of like Team New Zealand's philosophy where a lot of small gains can turn into something large."

His next major regatta is the Australian Laser national championships starting just after Christmas. He will then return home for some regattas before heading to Europe for several big events including, provided he qualifies, the Laser World Championships in October.

"I want to pretty much get to a level next year where in 2007 I can have a good chance of qualifying for the Olympics. Then in 2007 hopefully qualify for the Olympics and in 2008 win a gold."

Which will give the Torbay Yacht Club another reason to break out a banner.


Blair McLay
Lives: Auckland
Age: 18
Career highlights:
2005 - World Youth Laser Radial champion
2005 - 3rd World Open Laser Radial Championships
2005 - 2nd New Zealand Laser Championships
2005 - 5th Asia Pacific Laser Championships
2004/05 - New Zealand Youth Laser Radial Champion