The Kiwis made a strong charge up the standings on Day 2 of the ILCA 6 Youth World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, with Chloe Turner and Tom Pilkington both breaking into the top 10.
After a frustrating opening day saw just one race completed for the women, three races were sailed for both fleets overnight (NZ time) in much stronger and more consistent conditions, with winds building from around 12-15 knots and reaching up to 23 knots.
Turner was the standout Kiwi performer in the girls’ fleet, producing a superb 3, 2, 13 scorecard to climb from 65th to ninth overall.
The result puts the young Murrays Bay sailor firmly back in contention after she was the only member of the nine-strong New Zealand contingent to get a race away on the curtailed opening day.
Pilkington was equally impressive in the boys’ fleet, opening his qualifying series with a 2, 5, 10 to move into ninth overall in a fleet of more than 300 sailors.
Arran Begic is also inside the top 20, sitting 20th overall, while Toby Dunn is 55th.
Isaac Gaites is 104th, George Turner 144th, Thomas Linklater 155th and Thomas Jurczyluk 157th, while Lukas Johnson is 220th overall but sits just outside the top 50 in the under-17 boys’ category.
The stronger conditions provided a significant test for the sailors after Friday’s delays, with three races completed across both fleets to bring the championship closer to schedule.
The boys have now completed three qualifying races, while the girls have sailed four.
Latest results and standings here.
Originally published by Yachting New Zealand.
