Top placing for rising junior sailors

Rarotonga junior sailors have impressed their Kiwi peers and coach with their fantastic sailing skills and tenacity at the recent Auckland Championship regatta.

The sailors faced various sea and wind conditions with the most challenging being on the last day of racing.

Junior coach and national sailing medallist Junior Charlie says the sailors competed with pride in the trying conditions.

“Our sailors sailed in one of the strongest conditions in the competition with high winds of 25 knots gusting up to 30 knots,” says Charlie.

“Our sailors sailed with a lot of pride and not giving up to finish their races.

The last day of sailing saw the 91 sailors split in to Gold and Silver fleets.

Teakuao Framhein was the only sailor to qualify to sail in the Gold fleet and the rest of the eight-member team was placed in the Silver fleet.

“Today (the last day of sailing) was the hardest day for our junior sailors coping with very cold condition and high winds,” reports Charlie.

Teakaou Framhein gained five places in race 7 and 8, finishing 15th and 14th place to put him 40th place overall out of 91 sailors.

“This is a huge achievement for his first time sailing in the open grade.”

In the Silver fleet the local rising sailing stars dominated the course with some outstanding racing from Helene Johnson and Tyler Davis, Toutika Ioane, Ngarangi Mapu and Martin Marsters.

“Helene was the highlight of the day, sailing with a lot of pride and beating a lot of boys in the Silver fleet, placing her in 3rd overall out of 45 sailors in the Silver fleet and 3rd female – a very talented young girl and someone to watch out for in the future!”

Tyler Davis finished 6th, Toutika Ioane 13th, Makua Nikoia 20th, Ngarangi Mapu 25th and Martin Marsters 32nd out of 45 sailors in the Silver fleet.

Also in the spotlight was up-and-coming young sailor Otis Burrell, who just learned to sail last year. He closed his competition finishing 1st in the Green fleet out of 55 sailors and won a big prize with a boom box radio.

It was a very huge achievement for our sailors in this year’s Auckland Championships.

“I never expected our sailor to do so well coming over to compete in this level, which we don’t have back home, with big numbers of sailors and competition but to come to New Zealand and to compete against the best sailing countries in the world and to be placed in the top 40 out of 91 sailors and to win the Green fleet is a huge achievement for our junior sailors. I’m so proud of my sailors and I thank God for his blessings for looking after our team here in New Zealand.”