Louie leads the way

Queen Charlotte Yacht Club sailor Louie Poletti may have been his club’s sole representative at a prestigious Auckland regatta, but he ensured the club’s flag flew proudly.

The 16-year-old took part in the 20th instalment of the Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta on December 3-4, an annual event for under-19 sailors across a variety of classes.

Louie, who competed in the ILCA 6 [Laser Radial] class, turned in a consistently-dominant effort to emerge as a clear winner. Over two days, he won four of his six races amid a 33-strong field, shading accomplished Auckland-based sailors George Pilkington and Ethan Fong, who were second and third respectively.

Taking on such a strong field, many more familiar with the local weather patterns, was always going to be a big ask, but Louie left no stone unturned, arriving a week early to train in the prevailing conditions and learn to interpret the forecasts.

Having raced against a few of his higher-ranked rivals before, Louie knew he would have to be on his game to come out on top.

“The secret was to have a good start and to get clear air … you don’t want to be stuck behind other boats having to deal with bad wind.

“After that it was just about choosing the right [wind] shifts up to the top mark. Once you are in first place it is pretty much a case of covering the rest of the fleet and staying in the lead,” said the modest youngster.

Eligible to return for two more years, Louie has plans for another tilt at the Laser Radial title, although he may move up to the full rig ILCA 7 division in the future at a regatta that is firmly fixed on the national calendar, organisers keen to make it the leading national event for centreboard classes and “the highlight of the sailing calendar every year”.

Louie’s sailing calendar is fully booked over the summer months. On December 19 he returns to Auckland to take part in the AON youth sailing clinic, involving around 20 top laser radial sailors.

In January he will contest the national champs at Murrays Bay Sailing Club, also in Auckland, pitting his Laser against up to 100 other boats across all age groups.

Finally, he will tackle the Ocean Bridge selection regatta, which doubles as under-18 youth trials, the winner going on to represent Team New Zealand at the forthcoming world champs.

“That is what I am aiming for,” added Louie.

Sailing is not the only string to Louie’s bow. He is also an accomplished footballer, a stand-out striker with the all-conquering 2022 Rangers AFC senior men’s side, who was named Marlborough Football under-21 player of the year.

He is unclear about which sport he prefers, thankful that he can participate in both at the moment given the separate seasons.

“I’m trying to do both [sports] to as high a level as possible,” he said, “and we will see where it takes me.”

For now though, sailing is the focus, with plenty of travel and expense involved. To that end, Louie is quick to praise the input of “the Marlborough community who have helped me in the past”.

“I am very grateful for that help,” he added.