Double the fun
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron has announced they will be entering two teams into next year’s Youth America’s Cup event.
Photography by Andrew Delves
29 July 2020
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The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) has announced two teams for the Youth America’s Cup, as well as announcing the sailors for both teams.
Initially, the RNZYS received eighty-eight applications for the team, which was then reduced to seventeen, and then to twelve. The squad then underwent a significant fitness testing and interview process.
It became very clear that there was an overwhelming abundance of young female and male talent within the squad, making the selection process impossible for selectors to determine who should make up the final team. The RNZYS made the decision to enter two very strong teams.
RNZYS Commodore Ian Cook says, “It’s not a bad problem to have. After a thorough review, it was obvious that we had enough talent to enter two really exceptional teams who are both more than capable of going on to win the event. There is no A or B team and we are really happy with the end result.”
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“We can’t wait to see both teams begin training against one another, push their skills even further, and hopefully lift the trophy in March next year. We are looking forward to seeing who will be the next America’s Cup star discovered!”
Cook said he was proud of the sailors who have been selected, as nearly all of them have come through the RNZYS Mastercard Youth Training Program and the RNZYS Performance Program.
“It’s great to see all the hard work by these young sailors starting to pay off. The youth programs at the RNZYS have been generating top talent for years now, and even picking two teams was no easy task.
“There were plenty of other applicants who were right up there in terms of making the grade, but we had to make some difficult decisions and choose the best possible teams we could.”
The two teams who have been selected both include four starting sailors plus a reserve male and female for each team. The teams selected are as follows.
RNZYS Youth Americas Cup – BLUE
Starters: Nick Egnot-Johnson, Charlotte Porter, Alistair Gifford, Celia Willison
Reserves: Zak Merton, TBC*
RNZYS Youth Americas Cup – WHITE
Starters: Leonard Takahashi, Megan Thomson, Josh Wijohn, Crystal Sun
Reserves: Taylor Balogh, TBC*
*The female reserve for each of the teams is still to be confirmed.
The team’s first outing together will be at the Yachting Developments NZ Match Racing Championship where they will be aiming to prove the decision was the right one.
Youth Americas Cup
The Youth America’s Cup will take place over a three-week period in the off sailing days of the Prada Cup Challenger Series finals and America’s Cup match, from 18–23 February, 1–5 March, and 8–12 March 2021.
All racing will take place in the inner harbour outside the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, providing a great opportunity for spectators and fans to witness the high-flying action.
The RNZYS received eighteen confirmed entries with fifteen of them international teams. Collectively, the teams are set to bring in over two-hundred-and-fifty people to New Zealand, all of whom will be staying in the country for several months, which will have a significantly positive impact on the New Zealand economy.
The first AC9F yacht has been designed and built in New Zealand through a collaboration between Yachting Developments and the NZ Marine Industry, including Southern Spars, Harken and North Sails.
The brand-new AC9F has been undergoing further significant testing in the past few weeks, with outstanding progress being made.
It is clear that the AC9F is going to be an exciting and challenging boat to sail, and will provide the perfect platform for this event to be a success.
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