Frankie Dair RNZYS YTP wins the Musto International Youth Match Racing Champs
The RNZYS YTP team of Frankie Dair, James Jennings, Alistair Gifford and Niall Malone, have won the 2018 Musto International Youth Match Racing Regatta, defeating the RNZYS Performance Programme team helmed by James Wilson 3-1 in a superb all Squadron Final.
This is the 2nd regatta in as many weeks that an RNZYS YTP team have won across the ditch, after Jordan Stevenson won the Harken , and is another great result for Dair who was 3rd at that regatta.
The final day saw a much lighter breeze greet the eight remaining teams battling in the Quarter Finals. Unfortunately due to the light wind forecast the Organising Authority was forced to shorten the Quarter Finals down to a first to two points series.
This immediately put Tom Grimes, James Hodgson and James Wilson in the box seating, having already taken out Race 1 of their match ups the previous day. For Grimes and Wilson, they continued their winning ways in a light 4-7 knot SE breeze, dispatching Finn Tapper & Clare Costanzo 2-0. Frankie Dair also took his series out 2-0 over American Jeffrey Petersen.
Heading into the semi-finals, Dair chose to race Hodgson, leaving Wilson and Grimes to face off in the other. Dair was able to sail his way through to the Finals in straight sets, defeating Hodgson 2-0.
Whilst in the other semi-finals, Grimes took an early lead in the series and looked set to head into the Final in Race 3, but an unfortunate error at the top mark which saw a crew member fall over-board, allowed Wilson’s RNZYS PP team to sail into the Final.
The Final saw it all, with Wilson picking up the first point in a close race – but Dair swept his defeat off straight away and came back firing to black flag Wilson in the pre-start, something rarely seen in match racing.
In the next two races, Dair sailed cleanly and quickly around the older more experienced Wilson – going on to win his first major international youth match racing regatta in style.
This is a great win for Dair, and a not only does he take the trophy home to the RNZYS, he will also have some great bragging rights over his older RNZYS PP opponents for some time to come.
“I’m very thankful for everyone that helped us get to where we are, including the RNZYS Youth Training Programme. The team is really stoked with how we went in this regatta, taking home the win tastes very sweet. We were calm and level headed throughout the entire event and I think that made a big difference. I had mixed feelings after finishing 3rd at the Harken so to be able to go on and win this regatta is very satisfying.”
This result means the RNZYS took out 1st & 3rd place at the Harken and 1st & 2nd place at the Musto, making it two weeks of superb results for our young kiwi sailors in Australia.
Next on the calendar is the Nespresso Youth International Match Racing Cup here at the RNZYS from 21st – 24th February, and with the caliber of youth talent we have here at the moment – it promises to be an absolute cracker.
Andrew Delves – RNZYS PR & Communications Manager
