The 2025 PredictWind New Zealand Youth Championships is underway at Manly Sailing Club, with four days of competition scheduled from 21 to 24 September. Gathering the country's finest under-19 talent across Olympic dinghy classes and foiling boards, the regatta serves as both a Youth Team trial and a proving ground for the next generation of New Zealand's international sailing stars.
Day one brought heavy breeze and a lumpy swell, with control the defining factor from the first gun. Will Leech and Will Mason wasted no time, posting three straight wins in the 29er, while Cam Brown and Oli Stone led the 420s with a brace of bullets. Tom Pilkington and Liam Dimock traded race wins in ILCA 6, and Ben Rist, Daniella Wooldridge, and Kosta Gladiadis each stamped early authority across the foiling fleets.
Day two saw leaders stretch their margins across several classes. Leech and Mason were untouchable in the 29er, sweeping all three races to sit clear of the fleet on 5 nett points. Nelsen Meacham and Joe Leith moved into second, tied on nett points with Blake Batten and Merrick Sanderson, whose boat speed has drawn attention throughout the regatta.
The 420 fleet remained tightly contested. Brown and Stone added two further wins, but Clinton and Higson broke through in the final race of the day to close the gap to just three nett points. Hamish Brown and Nathan Soper continued to hold a steady third.
ILCA 6 has produced some of the closest competition of the event. Pilkington had a difficult second day yet still claimed a race win and enough top finishes to lead on 8 nett points. Luxford sits just one nett point behind, keeping the pressure firmly on the leader, while Begic climbed to third on the strength of two solid races.
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The foiling divisions delivered some of the most one-sided scorelines of the regatta. Rist swept all five races in the iQFOiL 8m fleet on day two, moving well clear of Misescu and Tuck. In the 7.3m division, Wooldridge's winning run continued until White claimed the final race of the day, though Wooldridge's lead remains healthy. Gladiadis was equally dominant in wingfoiling, sweeping the day's racing while Peet and Bouchet traded blows for second and third.
With two days still to race, the regatta picture has both sharpened and stayed unresolved in equal measure. The 29er and foiling fleets have front-runners with meaningful margins, yet the 420 and ILCA 6 contests remain genuinely open. On Whangaparāoa Bay, every shift and every tack carries weight for sailors chasing Youth Team selection and the chance to represent New Zealand on the world stage.
Tomorrow's forecast calls for cooler temperatures, passing rain, and a steady breeze along the Whangaparāoa Coast. Swell is expected to ease back below a metre, setting up another testing but raceable day on the water.
