Cape Town teenager Sarah-Jane Deary was the best of the South Africans at the recent Youth World Sailing Championships in Corpus Christi in Texas, USA.
Though she bagged 21st spot in the Laser Radial class the 18-year-old did well and gained much experience in a field of 46 which included some of the best young sailors in the world.
"The Corpus Christi Youth Worlds was a very good experience," said a thrilled Deary afterwards.
"The standard among the top girls was high and I’ve gained so much knowledge. It was interesting meeting competitors from different countries and to see how they train compared to us.
"The US Nationals was a great warm-up for Youth Worlds to adjust to the weather and get sleep patterns right after the jet lag before the main event," added the Wynberg Girls’ High School student, who went straight back into training on her return to South Africa.
Also putting in a good showing in the USA was Deary’s teammate Cullen Keytel, who finished 32nd out of the field of 58 sailors in the boys’ Laser Radial class, which was won by New Zealander Josh Armit.
Keytel’s best result of the Youth World Championships was a promising 16th spot in one of his races.
"The whole event was completely different to the usual regattas held in South Africa – this event taught me a lot," said Keytel.
"The sailing had the most drastic changes I have encountered simply due to the size in fleet numbers and the high level of competition. It was intense but fun and I enjoyed being pushed by everybody around me."
Deary’s Youth Worlds result is SA sailing’s best result in recent years. In 1996 Robyn Sadler (nee Keen) won a bronze in the Laser Radial Youth Worlds in Rhode Island.