Mount Maunganui boardsailor, 17 year old Sven Pedersen, got his 2010-11 season off to a flying start at the weekend by winning his division of the Sir Peter Blake Memorial Regatta at Torbay.

Sven Pedersen is off to a winning start for the summer.

Sven sailed consistently though the weekend and was the first youth over the line in all five races. The youth sailors race with the open women's division, which includes current world number 10 Kate Ellingham and former world youth champion Natalia Kosinska.

Sven beat both women in at least one race and came close to a top three overall place. In the end he was three places ahead of the next youth male, which augurs well for his bid to be the New Zealand representative at the Youth World Sailing Champs in Croatia in July 2011. Selection for that event is decided over the next two regattas, both of which take place in February.

'I'm really happy with how things ended up this weekend,” says Sven.

'I got off to a great start when the leaders went the wrong way in the first race.

'I had memorised the courses carefully, so I knew where to go.

'By the time they had turned back, I was on my way to the finish and won easily.

'Then, on the second day when the wind got up I had two races with great first legs, beating everyone to the top mark by a minute or more.

'According to Bruce Kendall, who coached us last week, my tactics were spot on.

'I let myself down though by not being able to defend my position going downwind, and got passed by a couple of the women both times. So I've still got plenty to work on!”

Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club had another notable success with victory in the P class by Trent Rippey against a fleet of quality sailors.

Sven's campaign for 2010-11 is sponsored by a number of local Tauranga businesses, and he is on the lookout for a principal sponsor, who among other things will get their logo writ large on his sails.