A disrupted opening phase in Day 1 in Portugal leaves the leaderboard fluid, with New Zealand well placed as the Youth Worlds begin to take shape in Day 2.
A selective start in Portugal
The 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships are under way in Vilamoura, Portugal, but the opening phase of the regatta has been shaped by light and inconsistent winds. Extended delays ashore and on the water led to uneven race counts across the fleets, with some classes able to complete several races while others are only beginning to form a leaderboard.
With more than 400 sailors from up to 70 nations competing across six classes, the early emphasis has been on patience and damage control. In such conditions, early consistency can matter as much as outright speed.
Third overall for Clinton and Higson
New Zealand’s most encouraging early position sits in the female two person dinghy, where Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson are third overall after two races, following back to back fourth place finishes.
France’s Emy Combet and Juliette Peyre lead the fleet after winning both races, with Great Britain’s Sabine Potter and Merle Nieuwland second. While no podium positions are decided at this stage of the championship, Clinton and Higson’s consistency places them firmly inside the leading group and within clear podium contention as qualifying continues.
Skiff fleets begin to take shape
In the male and mixed skiff, Italy’s Giuseppe Montesano and Enrico Coslovich lead after two races. Australia’s Sebastian Cheng and Jacob Marks sit second, with Poland’s Szymon Kolka and Bartosz Zmudzinski third.
New Zealand’s Will Leech and William Mason are ninth overall following finishes of fourth and 16th. With only two races completed and tight margins throughout the fleet, the New Zealand pairing remains well placed as conditions stabilise.
The female skiff has completed just one race. Great Britain’s Lila Edwards and Amelie Hiscocks lead, ahead of Italy’s Bianca Marchesini and Lucia Finato, with Poland’s Antonina Puchowska and Alicja Dampc third. New Zealand’s Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley are eighth, while the leading Australian crew sits fifth.
ILCA 6 fleets show early leaders
In the male one person dinghy, Italy’s Alessandro Cirinei leads after three races, followed by Brazil’s Francisco Dal Ri and the Czech Republic’s Jiri Tomes. Australia’s Healy Ryan sits 16th, while Tom Pilkington is 25th overall for New Zealand after a disrupted opening sequence.
The female one person dinghy is led by Germany’s Mirja Dohle, ahead of Spain’s Irene de Tomás and Italy’s Marina Murri. Chloe Turner sits eighth overall for New Zealand, one place ahead of Australia’s Caterina Meyer, keeping her within reach of the leading group as more races are sailed.
Foiling fleets build momentum
In the male iQFOiL, Israel’s Peleg Rajuan leads after three races, with Italy’s Mattia Saoncella second and Slovenia’s Val Erzen third. Australia’s Rory Meehan sits sixth, while Ben Rist is 20th overall for New Zealand.
The female iQFOiL is headed by Italy’s Medea Marisa Falcioni after two races. Taisia Stopchenko (Authorised Neutral Athlete, AIN) sits second, with Turkey’s Nurhayat Guven third.
Australia’s Amelia Wilson is 12th, with Daniella Wooldridge 15th overall for New Zealand.
Dinghies and multihulls complete the picture
The male and mixed two person dinghy is led by Ukraine’s Sviatoslav Madonich and Dmytro Karabadzhak after one race, followed by France’s Simon Prot and Swan Berier Joyet, with Japan’s Mihiro Okada and Haruto Watanabe third. New Zealand’s Cameron Brown and Oliver Stone sit 10th.
In the mixed two person multihull, France’s Marius Praud and Emilie Mansouri lead after three races, ahead of Italy’s Lorenzo Sirena and Alice Dessy. The USA pairing of Dylan Tomko and Casey Small are third, with Australia’s Samuel Dalton and Emma Webb ninth.
Plenty still to play for
With uneven race counts and improving forecasts, the Youth Sailing World Championships are only beginning to settle. For New Zealand, the early picture shows a team that has navigated difficult conditions well, with Clinton and Higson firmly in podium contention and several others positioned to move quickly as racing intensifies.
As schedules normalise and pressure builds, the emphasis will shift from patience to execution. The foundations are in place. The real racing is still to come.
Next up, Day 2.
