McKenzie keen to sail to victory

Consistency will be the key to winning a medal at the Wallis and Futuna Pacific Mini Games for sole female sailor Teau McKenzie.

The New Zealand-based schoolgirl sailed confidently and strongly in her first two races of 10 on Tuesday.

McKenzie says that she just wanted to get in the boat and sail after watching her two male team mates Taua Elisa and Junior Charlie in their first day of competition the day before.

She says her first day of racing was like a practice run to get the feel of the water and wind as well as to figure out who her main opponents would be.

She figured her main competition would come from the Australian sailors competing in the event which doubles as an Oceania regatta.

She says they proved her right as they led the way in the first two races of the women’s competition.

However McKenzie finished 4th overall in the first race – second in the Pacific Games competition after her Samoan opponent who placed first after the Australian sailors took out the top two places.

“The wind was lighter in the first race than the second, but it was more shifty,” said McKenzie as she reflected on her racing.

“On the beat up to the top mark I was in second place and then I played the shifts right. The downwind was all good and on the second loop upwind I took the left and dropped to 4th.”

In the second race – the wind picked up for the sailors and McKenzie explains she tacked a lot more and was right behind the Australian sailors but missed out on second place by just a few metres to place third in the race.

McKenzie, who won the individual silver at the Pacific Games in New Caledonia in 2011 and team gold with Helema Williams, who is now acting as her coach in Wallis is gunning for the gold medal.

Her team manager Anne Tierney described McKenzie’s first two races as brilliant.

She says McKenzie sailed with deep confidence in her own ability.

“She raced really well and with maturity that was just fabulous to watch,” says Tierney.

All three sailors were set for a big day yesterday where they were to race two races each to bring them up to a total of six races.

McKenzie will race a total of 10 races and will drop her worst two places and her team mates Taua Elisa and Junior Charlie will do the same after their 12 races.