Youth Worlds: Three Kiwi crews finish within the top ten in a regatta contested by 70 nations
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com 22 Jul 12:52 NZST
22 July 2024
Zac Stebbe (NZL) - Male Dinghy - ILCA 6 - 2024 Youth World Sailing Championships - Lake Garda - Italy - July 2024 © Simon Palfrader
New Zealand sailors struggled at the just concluded Youth World Championships sailed at Lake Garda, northern Italy.
The expected Ora thermal wind for which Garda is renowned did not arrive on several days and competitors often sailed in tricky conditions, that would not support full trapezing. New Zealand entered a generally young team and the results must be treated as a learning experience of international sailing at the top level. New Zealand has finished worse in the Nations Cup, but bounced back with a mature and wiser, and better performing team in the subsequent Youth Worlds.
In nine of the 11 classes, in the event - New Zealand skipped the Female Kiteboard, which only attracted six entries (14 in the Male Kite), and the Mixed Multihull (Nacra 15) which only attracted 12 entries. Notably this was the second Youth Worlds that Australia has not contested, citing poor value for money in the context of the overall Australian Youth program - which encompasses a much wider group than just being a junior league for the Olympic classes.
70 nations contested the regatta, which mirrors the Olympic regatta, with one entry allowed per nation, rather than being an open event. New Zealand finished 12 in the Nations Cup which is regarded as an overall measure of the standard of a countries youth program. The Italian team retained their Nations Cup title, and won made a remarkable splash at the championships, securing six world titles across 11 events and six classes.
Sailing in their home waters the Italian program is ably led by Youth Technical Director Alessandra Sensini, a six times Olympian in the board sailing classes.
Best performed was Zach Stibbe who placed 5th in a fleet of 62 competitors in the Male Dinghy (ILCA6). The son of Jenny Armstrong (NZL/AUS), and Olympic Gold medalist in the womens 470, and top coach Eric Stibbe (AUS). Zach got off to a strong start and was always in the was in the top six overall for every day of the regatta, finishing in fifth overall - dropping back from 4th on penultimate day.
Kiteboarder Hugo Wigglesworth placed 7th overall in a fleet of 14. He finished the first day 8th overall and moved into second on Day 2 and that became his spot for the remainder of the regatta, and the same for others in that event.
Will Leech and Sean Kensington placed 10th in a fleet of 29 in the Mixed Male Skiff (29er). They finished 9th in the 29er Europeans earlier in the month in Gdynia, Poland competing against a fleet of 135 crews, in an open competition. Leech and Kensington again got off to a good start, but seemed to be shaken by a Black Flag starting position mid regatta, and were able to get back into consistently sailing in the very countable 4-6 places that they has been scoring prior to the Black Flag in Race 6. In the back end of the regatta they scored four placings in the 20's.
In the remaining events:
- Bella Jenkins and Nicola Hume finished 12th in a 24 entry fleet in the Female Skiff (29er).
- Tessa Clinton and Jessica Handley finished 14th in a 19 entry in the Female Two-Handed Dinghy (420).
- Cam Brown and Alex Norman finished 17th in a 24 boat fleet in the Male/Mixed Two-Handed Dinghy (420).
- Chloe Turner finished 23rd in a 53 entry fleet in the Female Dinghy (ILCA6)
- Sofia Currie finished 23rd in a 26 entry fleet in the Female Windsurfer (iQFoil)
- Jack Parr finished 23rd in a 38 entry fleet in the Male Windsurfer (iQFoil).
For full results worldsailingywc.org/2024-results-centre