World Sailing Youth Champs

POINT Yacht Club youth sailors, Benji Daniel and Chad Stevenson are packing their bags for Auckland where they will take on the world’s best at the 46th World Sailing Youth Championships.

This is the second time that the youngsters are lining up against the next generation of the best-of-the-best in the sailing world. Last year in Langkawi, the enthusiastic 29er sailors finished a respectable 28th overall. The youngest and lightest in the fleet, they were competing against

sailors who were four or five years their senior.

“With both of our school commitments this year, we haven’t been able to get across to the various regattas leading up to the worlds, so the last time we sailed internationally was in Langkawi. We have been putting in a lot of hours, and concentrating quite a bit on our starts which was an area we felt we could improve on,” Helmsman, Daniel said.

With an expected 400 sailors from 70 countries racing over 9 classes, the two Durban scholars are expecting some tough competition in their

category. Daniel (15) and Stevenson (15) have grown as a team since Langkawi.

“Sailing in Malaysia was a big learning curve for us as it was our first major event that we sailed together. A year on, and many hours on

the water, we have gelled nicely and are hoping to push the guys at the front of the fleet.” the optimistic Daniel stated.

Continuing, he said, “This is the second time that the event is being hosted in Auckland. Known as the ‘City of Sails’, it is going to be a great honour for us to race in that part of the world! On the back of a record turnout from 76 countries in Malaysia, it should be a top quality event.”