I'm the youngest sailor to race!

Sarah prepares to set sail

Sarah is the youngest competitor at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships 2006.

She has come all the way from New Zealand to sail her 420 boat with her older sister crewing for her. She has Olympic dreams and tells us all about it.

I come from New Zealand and I'm over in Europe for the summer sailing with my older sister Emma on our double handed dinghy; the type of boat is called the 420.

We have been sailing together for years and have got up to the top of Youth sailing back home in NZ. I helm the boat while she crews for me, which is funny as I call most of the tactics and I'm younger but she doesn't mind to much, I think.

Practise makes perfect

We spend a lot of time practising, which was all worthwhile when we were selected to come over to the UK to represent New Zealand at the Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Weymouth.

This event happens every year in various places across the world and at the end of the 10 days of racing around the Bay, medals are given out, gold, silver and bronze, to the Champions from each sailing discipline.

There are also other types of boats raced at the Youth World Championships, like Hobie Catamarans 16's, Lasers and RS:X's which are windsurfers.

Kids from around the world

There are 63 nations competing this year, which is better than ever before and most of us were all living in the same big hotel for the event. That part of it has been a great laugh as we have met loads of new people.

Opening night nerves

The beginning of the Championships was pretty special for me as I was the youngest competitor at the Youth Worlds, so I got to help with the opening ceremony.

Every country brings with them water from where they sail, and at the Opening ceremony every nation pours their water into the "Mixing of the Water" bowl; showing the joining of the nations and the spirit of the event.

Once everyone has poured the water in, the bowl is carried out and poured back into the sea. I got to do the carrying bit with the youngest boy competitor from the USA.

I was so scared standing up in front of everyone, I really thought I was going to drop it but luckily I didn't!

Then racing started for the next week, and we were really trying our hardest for our team, NZ and ourselves.

We came 22nd in the end, of course we would have liked to have done better but it's all learning and you can compete in the Youth Worlds till you are 18, so we have a long time to get to the top and win a gold medal.

My sister and I would really like to compete in the Olympics, so if we get there for 2012 the sailing will be in the same place at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. That would be sweet as we will have sailed there before which might give us an advantage.

Everyone in Weymouth has been so friendly I hope to come to the UK again.

We are now off to the 420 Junior European Championships in Portugal and after that our mum and dad are taking us to Euro Disney then back to NZ to start school again!

Thanks to Weymouth for being such a cool place to visit and sail, hopefully see you in 2012."

Sarah, 13, New Zealand

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