The 2025 PredictWind NZ Youth Championships opened at Manly Sailing Club with weather forecasts warning of big winds and unsettled seas. Those predictions were realised, with cold air and breeze reaching 25 knots across Whangaparāoa Bay. The most skilled sailors managed to turn the forecast into results, setting the early tone for the week ahead.
In the 29er fleet, Will Leech and Will Mason proved a class apart. The pair from Charteris Bay and Worser Bay handled the skiff perfectly in the breeze, putting together three wins from three starts to establish themselves as the boat to beat. Behind them, the battle for consistency was already fierce, with Manly’s Ewan Brazle and Toby Clark edging into second overall while Nelson Meacham and Joe Leith kept themselves close in third.
Youth sailors set for 2025 PredictWind New Zealand Youth Championships
The 420s managed two races, and it was all about Cam Brown and Oli Stone. The Wakatere and Kohimarama crew coped best with the conditions, winning both heats to take a clean early lead. Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson were not far behind, holding second overall, while Hamish Brown and Nathan Soper settled into third after showing strong pace.
The ILCA 6 singlehanders produced some of the closest racing of the day. Liam Dimock opened with a win in the first race before Tom Pilkington, representing Murrays Bay and the RNZYS, responded with a victory in the second. That gave Pilkington the early overall lead, with Dimock just behind and Charteris Bay’s Miro Luxford in third. Further down the order, Chloe Turner held on to fourth.
The foiling classes delivered fast, dramatic racing despite the chop. In the iQFOiL 8m division, the opening heat went to Wakatere’s Josh Tuck, but from there Manly’s Ben Rist took control, winning back-to-back races before Wakatere’s Vlad Misescu claimed the fourth. Rist’s consistency put him in front overall, but Tuck and Misescu remain in touch as the points spread began to open.
Wingfoiling also had its first taste of championship competition, and Manly’s own Kosta Gladiadis made a statement, sweeping all four races with style. Martin Bouchet from New Caledonia and BOIYC’s Riley Peet followed in second and third, but the day belonged to Gladiadis, who set the standard.
Day two of racing will bring further racing, with forecasts pointing to stronger winds and the chance of rain. The regatta is still wide open, but the opening chapter belongs to those who handled the demanding conditions best. With many races still ahead, the leaderboard is certain to shift as crews adapt and respond to whatever Whangaparāoa Bay delivers next.
