Youth Match Racing Worlds at Noumea, New Caledonia - Preview

Youth Match Racing Worlds at Noumea, New Caledonia © Cercle Nautique Calédonien

New Caledonia, a French Island in the South Pacific, will host the Youth Match Racing World Championships. Ten teams will compete.

Participants have been invited from as far as Denmark, the United States and Japan to as close as neighbours, Australia or New-Zealand. Each team consists of 3-4 members across a wide range of skill levels and experience led by skippers holding a gamut of World Sailing rankings from Robin Follin's 28th, at the top of the range, to Matthew Hughes' 548th. All competitors must be under 23 years of age until the 31st of December 2016.

All participate at the Youth Match Racing World Championship in a bid to become world champion and climb the World Sailing Rankings.

Nouméa Yacht Club (CNC) is hosting the competition on an isolated Island in front of Noumea, the main city. Competitors from six nations will sail in paradise, in the biggest lagoon of the world, surrounded by turtles and tropical fish.

Throughout the week the Race Committee will run a series of qualifying rounds, by way of a round robin, giving everyone a fair chance at competing with each other. Teams will rotate through 8 identical Elliott 6m sailboats.