Youth Worlds get Underway: NZ Results after Day One

Sam Meech representing New Zealand wins race 1 of the Boys Laser Radial class at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship 2009 in Buzios, Brazil. Image copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.

by Jodie Bakewell-White

The Volvo Youth Sailing World Championships are underway with day one of racing just completed in Brazil. Sam Meech is the early stand out in the NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team taking the lead in the Laser Radial Boys fleet with two wins from two races.

Sailors had to contend with a 12-15 knot NNE breeze for the opening race of the weeklong series, but as the day progressed the wind shifted and decreased away to a SSW of only around 3 knots.

Sam Meech who represents the Murrays Bay Sailing Club, on Auckland’s North Shore reportedly led from the top mark to the finish in both races sailed. Up against a 53 boat fleet he comes away away from day one with the early lead and an impressive 11 point margin. With the two wins under his belt Meech has two points total, while his nearest rival, Yan Chekh of Russia has 13 points total.

Also making a solid start on day one was the girl’s pair in the 420 class was Alexandra Maloney and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher. They finished 3rd in race one but went on to record a DNF (Did not Finish) in their second race which means they are sitting in 12th place overall at the end of day one.

Over in the boy’s 420 class Ben Goodwin and Logan Dunning-Beck are in 11th place, as are Marcus Hansen and James Turner in the Hobie 16. Windsurfer’s Ban Mackay and Lucy Driver are 8th and 9th respectively while Rachel Basevi is lying 14th in the girl’s Laser Radial.

Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships 2009
New Zealand’s standings after day one
1st Sam Meech – Laser Radial (Boy’s One Person Dinghy – 53 boats)
14th Rachel Basevi - Laser Radial (Girl’s One Person Dinghy – 39 boats)
8th Ben Mackay – RS:X (Boy’s Windsurfer – 24 boards)
9th Lucy Driver – RS:X (Girl’s Windsurfer – 15 boards)
11th Logan Dunning-Beck & Ben Goodwin – 420 (Boy’s Two-Person Dinghy – 31 boats)
12th Alexandra Maloney & Bianca Barbarich-Bacher – 420 (Girl’s Two-Person Dinghy – 24 boats)
11th Marcus Hansen & James Turner – Hobie 16 (Open Multihull – 17 boats)

Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships