Three wins from three starts, a clean sweep of four races, and some of the tightest singlehander racing of the regatta so far. That was the opening day of the 2025 PredictWind NZ Youth Championships at Manly Sailing Club, where forecasts of big winds and unsettled seas proved entirely accurate. Cold air and gusts reaching 25 knots swept across Whangaparāoa Bay, and the sailors who thrived in those conditions wasted no time making their presence felt.
The 29er fleet belonged to Will Leech and Will Mason from the outset. The Charteris Bay and Worser Bay combination handled their skiff with rare confidence in the building breeze, winning all three races to put themselves clear of the field before the day was out. The contest behind them was already intense, with Manly's Ewan Brazle and Toby Clark working their way into second overall, and Nelson Meacham and Joe Leith staying firmly in contention in third.
Two races were completed in the 420 class, and Cam Brown and Oli Stone from Wakatere and Kohimarama were in a different league. Back-to-back wins gave them an early clean sheet at the top of the standings. Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson kept their regatta alive in second, while Hamish Brown and Nathan Soper showed enough pace across both races to sit comfortably in third.
The ILCA 6 singlehanders delivered some of the most compelling racing of the day. Liam Dimock took the first race, only for Tom Pilkington of Murrays Bay and the RNZYS to answer directly with victory in the second. That exchange left Pilkington holding the overall lead by a slender margin, with Dimock just behind and Charteris Bay's Miro Luxford in third. Chloe Turner rounded out the top four.
Out on the foils, the chop made conditions demanding but the racing no less absorbing. In the iQFOiL 8m division, Wakatere's Josh Tuck got the regatta underway with a win in the opening heat, but Manly's Ben Rist then strung together two consecutive victories before Wakatere's Vlad Misescu took the fourth race of the day. Rist's run of results lifted him to the top of the standings, though both Tuck and Misescu remain close enough to keep the pressure on as the points begin to spread.
Wingfoiling made its championship debut and Manly's Kosta Gladiadis made certain the day would be remembered. He swept all four races with authority, leaving Martin Bouchet from New Caledonia and BOIYC's Riley Peet to contest second and third. The top of that leaderboard was never in doubt.
With forecasts pointing to stronger winds and possible rain for day two, conditions across Whangaparāoa Bay look set to test the fleets further. The regatta remains wide open across most classes, but those who read and responded to the demanding opening day have given themselves a platform worth defending. There are many races still to be sailed.
