Tauranga sailor Sven Pedersen is selected for the New Zealand Youth Sailing team for 2011.

Sailing in the RS:X class with 8.5m rig, Sven won the two selection regattas, Sail Auckland and just last weekend, the National Championships.

Sven Pedersen.

He was the first youth over the line in every race in both regattas, ending up with a large points average over rivals Kal Rutter and Nick Croft.

Sven now starts an intensive training programme in the build up to the ISAF Youth Worlds in Croatia in July.

Sven is one of five Tauranga sailors who competed in the Nationals on RS:X and Techno; the others being Abbey Borman, who was top in Open Women's Techno, Bradley Nixon, Alex Hart and Brandon Hailwood.