Please select your home edition
Edition
U-DECK 2023 - No.1 728x90 TOP

NZL Sailing Team: Nacra 17 crew finish impressive second at Europeans in Aarhus

by Michael Brown/Yachting NZ 11 Jul 2022 11:02 NZST 11 July 2022
Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson (NZL) - Nacra 17 - Day 4 - European Championships - Aarhus, Denmark - July 2022 © Peter Brogger

If trends were anything to go by, all the signs pointed to Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson picking up their first medal as a combination at an international regatta this week - and the pair delivered.

Wilkinson and Dawson finished second in the Nacra 17 at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, rounding out a block of racing in Europe that has seen their consistent progression through the rankings.

The pair have recorded results of sixth, fifth, fourth and now second against the world's best this year but know they have some work to do to catch Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti who have dominated the class in 2022. The Italians finished a mammoth 65 points ahead of the Kiwis in second, only once finishing outside the top two in the 33-boat fleet across 15 races.

Wilkinson and Dawson confirmed their place on the podium with a fourth placing in this morning's top-10 medal race to secure their first medal together since teaming up in 2019.

They have worked hard to understand the new rudder rake systems introduced in March which allows foiling upwind most of the time and it's paying off.

"We're stoked," Wilkinson said. "It’s pretty cool for us as a team. We were in second early in the week and we have been hanging on for days.

"It’s a massive relief we were able to finish it off but it’s also really exciting for our whole campaign. We are both fully committed to this and to punch out consistent results all season is exciting as a team. We know we have so much to improve on so both have a lot more to give."

The pair will spend the next month training at the Olympic venue in Marseille before heading to Canada for September's 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 world championships.

The rest of New Zealand's top 49er and 49erFX sailors are also heading to Marseille and will go there on the back of a mixed European championships.

Four crews picked up race wins, including Jo Aleh and Molly Meech who are in their first season together as a combination, but many struggled at times in the shifty and gusty conditions in Aarhus that offered up anything from 30-knot gusts to 50-degree wind shifts.

Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie (49er) and Alex Maloney and Olivia Hobbs (49erFX) both qualified for the medal race in their respective fleets and finished 10th overall.

The 49er title was taken out by Spain's Diego Botin and Florian Trittel while two-time Olympic champions Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze of Brazil won the 49erFX.

Results and standings after the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships in Aarhus, Denmark:

Nacra 17 (33 boats)

1st: Ruggero Tita / Caterina Banti (ITA) 2 1 1 1 1 (8) 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 4 - 21 points
2nd: Micah Wilkinson / Erica Dawson (NZL) 1 3 (17) 2 2 12 6 9 4 4 6 8 11 10 8 - 86 pts
3rd: Sinem Kurtbay / Akseli Keskinen (FIN) 11 (17) 6 4 5 17 12 3 8 3 3 5 4 6 6 - 93 pts

49er (90 boats)

1st: Diego Botin / Florian Trittel (ESP) 9 3 3 6 5 4 4 8 1 1 1 5 9 (12) 1 8 - 68 pts
2nd: Bart Lambriex / Floris van de Werken (NED) 2 3 1 4 1 9 2 7 11 3 15 4 6 3 (25) 12 - 83 pts
3rd: James Peters / Fynn Sterritt (GBR) 6 1 1 8 5 3 3 3 10 5 10 10 (21) 7 8 4 - 84 pts

10th: Isaac McHardie / William McKenzie (NZL) 2 9 5 2 3 4 1 9 8 13 12 (21) 17 1 16 18 - 160 pts
21st: Logan Dunning Beck / Oscar Gunn (NZL) 12 1 8 3 1 6 16 19 (28 RET) 17 2 23 UFD 2 - 142 pts
34th: Sam Bacon / Henry Gautrey (NZL) 16 7 14 13 17 20 7 (28 BFD) 21 17 5 9 5 5 19 25 - 200 pts
53rd: Campbell Stanton / William Shapland (NZL) (28 DNC) 12 22 12 20 23 15 11 23 DNC 27 28 15 21 14 17 - 292 pts
57th: Scott McKenzie / Blake McGlashan (NZL) 10 16 12 21 22 22 25 20 21 16 31 18 27 (DNC) 26 28 - 315 pts
61st: Sam Morgan / Pat Morgan (NZL) (DNC) DNC DNC DSQ 11 6 14 11 10 7 15 1 1 4 - 176 pts

49erFX (70 boats)

1st: Martine Grael / Kahena Kunze (BRA) 10 3 2 3 2 8 9 3 1 3 (10) 2 1 6 16 - 69 pts
2nd: Odile van Aanholt / Annette Duetz (NED) 7 12 1 6 8 4 (16) 1 3 2 4 5 9 1 12 - 75 pts
3rd: Vilma Bobeck / Rebecca Netzler (SWE) 6 1 4 1 2 8 1 5 1 (24) 1 16 10 20 2 - 78 pts

10th: Alex Maloney / Olivia Hobbs (NZL) 3 (25) 13 21 3 4 2 4 7 7 12 18 23 8 14 - 139 pts
17th: Jo Aleh / Molly Meech (NZL) 8 19 5 2 1 13 5 12 (26) 5 18 25 8 23 - 144 pts
63rd: Courtney Reynolds-Smith / Brianna Reynolds-Smith (NZL) 28 (DNC) DNC 27 18 30 8 20 29 DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC - 416 pts

Full results all classes

Related Articles

Herbert makes impressive Wing Foil Racing debut
New Zealand's Sean Herbert has announced his arrival on the international stage with a bronze medal. New Zealand's Sean Herbert has announced his arrival on the international stage with a bronze medal at his Wingfoil Racing World Cup debut. Posted on 17 Jun
Yachting NZ: 'A win for the squad'
Rising Kiwi 49er team Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush have won the Gold Medal at the European Champs Rising Kiwi 49er team Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush have won the Gold Medal at the European Championships in Greece overnight. Posted on 9 Jun
Yachting NZ: National Championship roundup
Optimists to the Etchells, the past month has seen top performances across the board From the Optimists to the Etchells, the past month has seen top performances across the board, with sailors of all levels showcasing their skills and determination. Posted on 7 May
Taipa Sailing Club hard hit by Cyclone
The Taipa Sailing Club is reeling after being hard hit by Cyclone Tam - launches Givealittle page When Cyclone Tam tore the roof off the Taipa Sailing Club just over a week ago, the immediate future of the small Northland yacht club suddenly looked uncertain.A Givealittle page has raised more than $6000 in the first five days. Posted on 28 Apr
NZL Sailing Team: Tom Saunders wins silver
Tom Saunders celebrated his return to the world stage with NZ's second post-Olympics medla Tom Saunders celebrated his return to the world stage with New Zealand's second medal of the short international sailing season, claiming silver in his first major regatta since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Posted on 27 Apr
NZL Sailing Team: Bronze for Ten Have
Veerle Ten Have starts new Olympic campaign with bronze at Princess Sofia Trophy The 24-year-old Tauranga sailor claimed bronze in the women's iQFOiL at the 2025 Princess Sofia Trophy regatta in Palma, Mallorca on Saturday following a strong display of speed and consistency in her first major regatta since finishing 10th in Marseille. Posted on 6 Apr
Oceanbridge Sail Auckland 2025 Day 3
A new top 49er crew give masterclass on Day 3 of Oceanbridge Sail Auckland Plenty of hard work and a touch of Olympic inspiration has propelled one of New Zealand's most promising double-handed crews to success at the country's premier domestic sailing event. Posted on 2 Mar
Oceanbridge Sail Auckland 2025 Day 2
Set for a thrilling conclusion at Torbay Sailing Club The 2025 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland is set for a thrilling conclusion, with little separating the leaders in most fleets as they battle it out at Torbay Sailing Club. Posted on 1 Mar
YNZ CEO to step down after 14years at the helm
Yachting New Zealand chief executive David Abercrombie has announced his retirement Yachting New Zealand chief executive David Abercrombie has announced his retirement, bringing down the curtain on more than 14 years at the organisation's helm. Posted on 26 Feb
Olympic Silver medalists win Sailor the Year
Olympic Silver medalists win Sir Bernard Ferguson Trophy at Sailor of the Year Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie won the top honour at the 2024 Barfoot & Thompson Yachting Excellence Awards on Friday, claiming the Sailor of the Year title as Olympic sailors dominated the major awards. Posted on 22 Nov 2024
CollinsonCo 728x90 BOTTOMC-Tech 2021 America's Cup 728x90 BOTTOMU-DECK 2023 - No.1 728x90 BOTTOM