Help Noah, top South Island optimist sailor, to fund his campaign for the Euro 2019 and the World 2020 Championships.
Nelson / Tasman
My name is Noah Malpot and I am a 13 year old sailor from the Nelson Yacht Club, racing in the highly competitive New Zealand optimist fleet. I have been sailing for 6 years, and for the first time in 2018, I achieved my dream of representing New Zealand in the Asia & Oceania Championship in Myanmar. I won a silver medal in the Oceania which I am very proud of.
In 2019, I finished 7th on the New Zealand ranking (1st South Islander) and earned the right to represent New Zealand once again at the European championship in France next June. This is a great achievement as I managed to climb my way up the ranking with limited resources and by pretty much training on my own. Sailing in New Zealand is very much Auckland-centered so achieving this from across the ditch feels very satisfying. Next year will be my last season in the Optimist fleet and my goal will be to qualify for the World championship.
However, attending an international event such as the European or the World championship is a big investment. It is 2 weeks overseas with my team mates and our coach. We will have to charter our boats, pay the regatta entry fees, our accommodation and of course our plane tickets to get to the venue. In the lead up to the event, I will also have to travel regularly to Auckland in the weekends to train with my team. Some financial support is definitely needed!
My results so far:
• 2nd – Auckland championship 2019
• 4th – Interislander optimist challenge 2019
• 6th – National championship 2019
• 2nd – Oceania championship 2018
• 25th – Asian & Oceania Championship 2018
• 6th – North Island championship 2018
• 7th – Auckland Championship 2018
• 22nd – National championship 2018
• 1st – Regional championship 2017 & 2018
• 1st – Nelson Whakatu regatta 2018 & 2019
In the media:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxJVxATvNpw (Watch my interview during the Asian & Oceania champs between 1:47 – 2:10)
http://nelsonweekly.co.nz/2019/02/noah-shines-in-the-city-of-sails/
Donations will be primarily used to fund my participation to the European champs in June 2019 (entry fees, boat charters, coaching, flights and accommodation). Any surplus will go towards my dream of qualifying for the World champs in 2020 in Italy.
Winning the Sir Peter Blake regatta! 12 December 2019
The Sir Peter Blake regatta is held in Torbay annually, however, this was my first time attending it. Named after the famous Kiwi sailor, the “memorial” Sir Peter Blake regatta is an iconic and prestigious title for young sailors with ambitions. It was a two day event, with textbook conditions, seabreezes each day, and a good Auckland choppy sea state.
The first day, there was about 12 - 15 knots and heaps of opportunities. My first day results were 1,3,3,3, and second overall which was a great consistent start to the regatta. Also, there was a huge gap of points between me and 3rd place, so if I sailed well the next day, I could only improve…
The second day was just as sunny and hot as the first day with just a little bit more breeze.
On the first race, I was trying to limit the leverage the first placed guy had over me and try to make sure that he’s either close ahead, or behind me. On the second race, I wanted to make a break with the guy in first, now having a good game plan after trial and error on the first race. After a good start, my hiking straps broke which meant that I couldn’t keep the boat flat anymore and boats were overtaking me. It was a very tough moment but all I could do at this point was forget this race and just focus on the next one. In each regatta, you get to discard your worst result. With a gear breakage, retiring was a major setback, but it was still possible to win. After repairing the straps with my coach, I was mentally ready to smash it in the next race. The last race went past very quickly in my head. I had a great start ahead of the first guy, and covered him until the end, trying to put as many boats as I could between him and I. In that race, I finished 2nd, whilst he finished 5th. That was enough to put him behind me, and take the regatta win! Having a gear breakage was a major setback, but it's my consistency that saved me. It’s my first ever “national” regatta win, and I’m working towards achieving some more.
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