Breeze Magazine 67
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MASTERCARD YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMME The regular Mastercard Youth Training Program training sessions have drawn to an end for the season with all the Prada Cup and America’s Cup racing filling up our weekends. It was a challenging year to say the least with no overseas events to aim for. However, we made the most of all the opportunities that came our way with the highlights being sailing Bianca Cook’s Volvo yacht, racing against Peter Burling, Blair Tuke and visiting the Prada Pirelli Base. We also had the largest ever intake of female applicants, so we hope to see the RNZYS Ladies Series grow in the coming years. We are now receiving applications for the new season, which is set to kick off in April. Details are on our website. Please help spread the word, far and wide! Before the season ended, we had a few teams compete in the New Zealand Youth Match Racing Nationals held out of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club in Wellington, in conjunction with the Wellington Youth Sailing Trust. Robbie McCutcheon, Chester Duffett and Sam Scott were off to defend their title, but came up just short finishing in third place. In the petit final, they managed to out-joust one of our Performance Programme teams of Niall Malone, Sam Hume and Cameron Marks. Credit must go to Will Wright from Wellington, who showed the advantages of
sailing in home boats on home waters by convincingly winning the round robins after just weeks prior getting the wooden spoon at the NZ Match Race Nationals. Great to see teams bounce back! However, Albert Stanley from Wellington, rose to the top in the final to claim the Youth National Championship for the first time. Congratulations Albert and team. While the New Zealand Youth Match Racing Nationals were being held in December, we hosted the Mastercard Youth Training Weeks at the same time on Kawau Island. We had 40 sailors for each of the two weeks. The vast majority of these sailors were experiencing keelboat racing for the first time and figuring out how to work in teams of four, as opposed to their single- or doubled-handed classes. Fortunately, the weather played ball so we didn’t get too wet camping in the tents. The sailors at these camps get two days of gennaker work, two days of spinnaker work, a days’ fleet racing and a day racing around the island, where they choose what sail configuration and course to take. A big thanks to all the Mastercard Youth Training Program members who donated their time to help coach over these two weeks as well. Reuben Corbett YTP Training Manager
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