Sam Meech: winner of the boys Laser Radial class at the Youth Worlds in Brazil. Supplied image.
by Jodie Bakewell-White
The NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team has rounded out a top day on the water in Brazil at the 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship with all members improving their overall standings after the three races just sailed. With one day of competition remaining Sam Meech has run away with the Boy’s Laser Radial Gold with an insurmountable margin.
Meech (pictured at left) returned two race wins and a second on the water today adding to his already impressive run at this 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship. He has secured the Gold medal without having to sail the final race planned for tomorrow. Meech won bronze at last year’s Championship and has this year been completely dominant, demonstrating talent too hot for his 52 competitors.
“Sam had devastating speed all day,” says Marty Watson in Brazil with the team. “He was able to keep his nose clean by starting conservatively and sailing smart.”
“Wind today was an ENE gradient 12 knots sea breeze,” says Watson.
Meech, from Mount Maunganui, represents both the Murrays Bay Sailing Club on Auckland’s North Shore and the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club.
“When I was young my family sailed around the world on our boat,” explains Meech on his start in the sport. “On the way I was able to have a go in dinghies - so when we got back to New Zealand in the end of 2003 I started sailing P class on the Hamilton Lake.”
Alexandra Maloney and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher had an excellent day of racing today, like Meech they had two race wins and one second place. Sailing in the Girl’s 420 double-handed class the pair improved their overall standing ten places climbing from 15th at the start of racing up to 5th place overall in the fleet of 24.
Rachel Basevi achieved the same ten point leap up the leader board in the Girl’s Laser Radial fleet. In 18th place at the outset of the day she is now in 8th place going into the final day of the regatta with just one race left to sail. In racing today Basevi was 5th, 6th and 8th.
Ben Goodwin and Logan Dunning-Beck won a heat today which helped see them improve from 15th place up to 9th in the Boy’s 420 double-handed fleet. Hobie 16 multihull pair Marcus Hansen and James Turner are lying 8th. And windsurfers Ben Mackay and Lucy Driver are lying 10th and 9th in their respective fleets.
New Zealand is lying 5th in the race for the prestigious Volvo Trophy awarded for overall best team performance at this event. France leads from Great Britain, with Italy and Brazil also out in front of New Zealand. Click here for more on the Volvo Trophy standings.
All seven fleets will sail just one race tomorrow bringing the 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships to a close.
Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships 2009
New Zealand’s standings after seven races
1st Sam Meech – Laser Radial (Boy’s One Person Dinghy – 53 boats)
8th Rachel Basevi - Laser Radial (Girl’s One Person Dinghy – 39 boats)
10th Ben Mackay – RS:X (Boy’s Windsurfer – 24 boards)
9th Lucy Driver – RS:X (Girl’s Windsurfer – 15 boards)
9th Logan Dunning-Beck & Ben Goodwin – 420 (Boy’s Two-Person Dinghy – 31 boats)
5th Alexandra Maloney & Bianca Barbarich-Bacher – 420 (Girl’s Two-Person Dinghy – 24 boats)
8th Marcus Hansen & James Turner – Hobie 16 (Open Multihull – 17 boats)
Principle sponsor of the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team is the NZL Yachting Trust. Supporting sponsors include SPARC, ASB and Line 7.
Volvo Youth ISAF Worlds
No comments:
Post a Comment