Youth Worlds: 13 NZ sailors named for Vilamoura Worlds

Will Leach and Will Mason - Boys 29er - Predictwind Youth NZ Nationals - Manly SC - September 2025 © Insight Media

New Zealand's next generation of sailing talent is set to take on the world, with 13 young sailors officially confirmed for the NZL Sailing Foundation youth team for the 2025 World Sailing youth world championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, this December.

The squad was finalised this week following the PredictWind New Zealand national youth trials late last month, where the country's top young sailors battled big swells and winds reaching 25 knots at Auckland's Manly Sailing Club.

The team features the country's leading youth sailors across 29er, 420, ILCA 6, iQFOiL, and kitefoil classes.

Among those confirmed are:

• Will Leech and Will Mason in the Boys' 29er
• Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley in the Girls'29er
• Cam Brown and Oli Stone in the Boys'420
• Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson in the Girls'420
• Tom Pilkington in the Boys'ILCA 6
• Chloe Turner in the Girls'ILCA 6
• Ben Rist in the Boys' iQFOiL
• Daniella Wooldridge in the Girls'iQFOiL
• Toby Wigglesworth in the Boys'kitefoil class.

Wing Foil winners Kosta Gladiadis and Zoe Wilson were not considered for the team as the class is not yet part of the Youth Worlds programme.

Daniella Woolridge - iQFoil- Predictwind Youth NZ Nationals - Manly SC - September 2025 - photo © Insight Media

More than 80 competitors faced challenging conditions over four days at the PredictWind New Zealand youth championships from 22 to 25 September, which also served as the selection regatta for the Youth Worlds in Vilamoura, Portugal, this December.

Yachting New Zealand youth programme manager Sam Mackay praised the fleet's resilience. "The sailors showed incredible determination, skill, and composure, with hardly any races in less than 15 knots," he said. "The quality of racing was high across the fleets, and a few teams really dominated their competitions."

Among the standouts were Leech and Mason, who secured the boys' 29er title with a day to spare after winning eight of 12 races, finishing almost 25 points ahead of Blake Batten and Merrick Sanderson. Jenkins and Handley impressed in the girls' 29er, placing eighth overall and comfortably ahead of Alexis Heckler and Isla Kee.

Pilkington topped the boys' ILCA 6 fleet with four race wins, 10 points ahead of Toby Dunn. Fresh from her under-17 world title in Los Angeles, Turner finished sixth overall and was the leading girl, recording four top-five finishes from 10 races.

In the 420s, Brown and Stone held off the leading girls' team of Clinton and Higson, while on the boards, Rist dominated the iQFOiL 8m fleet and Wooldridge topped the 7.3m girls' fleet. Wingfoiler Gladiadis swept all 17 races, with Wilson winning the girls' title.

Mackay said the tough conditions provided ideal preparation for Vilamoura. More than half of the squad - including Leech, Jenkins, Handley, Brown, Clinton, Turner, and Rist - have previous youth worlds experience, with Turner and Clinton preparing for their third campaigns.

New Zealand has a proud history at the event, with past medallists including Josh Armit, Seb Menzies, Alex Maloney, Jo Aleh, Sir Russell Coutts, and Blair Tuke, and two Nations Trophy victories in 1994 and 2002.

Mackay said the 2025 squad would spend the next two months training on the water and refining their preparation with class coaches and a series of workshops ahead of the championships from 12 to 20 December.

"Many of these sailors have shown they know how to win races," he said. "The challenge now will be putting together a consistent regatta against the world’s best."

Final results and standings from the 2025 PredictWind NZ youth championships (youth trials) at Manly Sailing Club:
29er fleet (13 boats)

1. Will Leech/Will Mason 1 1 1 1 1 1 1.4(RDGa) 1 4 1 5 (6) - 18.4 pts
2. Blake Batten/Merrick Sanderson 6 2 4 3 5 2 3 3 6 4 4 (7) - 42 pts
3. Hugo Smith/Louis Quere (14RET) 14DNS 14DNS 2 3 3 1 2 1 2 1 1 - 44 pts
8. Bella Jenkins/Jess Handley 7 5 5 7 (11) 10 4 7 7 5 7 4 - 68 pts
10. Alexis Heckler/Isla Kee 11 10 9 10 12 9 9 9 10 (14DNS) 9 11 - 109 pts
11. Kate Howse/Lola Hamilton 9 (14RET) 14DNF 11 9 7 8 10 14UFD 8 11 10 - 111 pts

420 fleet (14 boats)
1. Cam Brown/Oli Stone 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 (3) - 11 pts
2. Tessa Clinton/Amelia Higson (2) 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 - 16 pts
3. Hamish Brown/Nathan Soper 3 3 (4) 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 - 30 pts
4. Thomas Jurczyluk/Oliver Wyeth 4 6 3 5 4 6 4 5 3 (7) - 40 pts
5. Zofia Wells/Charlotte Handley (15DNF) 5 5 4 5 4 6 7 6 1 - 43 pts
6. Amber Hughes/Phoebe Willis 5 (7) 7 6 6 5 7 3 5 6 - 50 pts

ILCA 6 fleet (15 boats)
1. Tom Pilkington 2 1 1 (16UFD) 4 1 3 3 2 1 - 18 pts
2. Toby Dunn (7) 5 4 7 2 2 1 1 4 2 - 28 pts
3. Sam Clarke 5 (7) 3 5 1 3 5 2 1 4 - 29 pts
6. Chloe Turner 4 6 6 4 6 4 (9) 5 6 7 - 48 pts

iQFOiL 8m fleet (5 boards)
1. Ben Rist 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 (3) 1 1 (3) - 19 pts
2. Vlad Misescu (3) (6RET) 2 1 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 2 2 1 - 34 pts
3. Josh Tuck 1 2 (3) (4DPI1) 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 1 3 2 1 3 3 2 - 37 pts

iQFOiL 7.3m fleet (4 boards)
1. Daniella Wooldridge 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (2) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (2) 1 - 16 pts
2. Elbe White 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 (3) 3 2 2 3 2 2 (4) 2 - 33 pts
3. Gabrielle Dalton- Wilson 3 3 (4) 3 (4) 3 3 3 3 2 4 3 4 4 4 4 1 4 - 51 pts

Wing Foil fleet (6 boards)
1. Kosta Gladiadis (1) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 15 pts
2. Martin Bouchet 2 2 2 2 (7UFD) (7UFD) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 - 30 pts
3. Riley Peet (3) 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 (7DNS) - 43 pts
5. Zoe Wilson (7DNC) 7DNC 7DNC 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 5 5 4 4 3 - 74 pts