Tauranga sailor Tom Saunders is the Yachting New Zealand Young Sailor of the year.

Tom Saunders,centre, with Molly Meech and Sam Bullock

Tom who won gold in the Laser at this year's Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships, was presented the award in Auckland last night.

It is the second year is succession the young sailor award has gone to the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club. Sam Meech won it in 2009.

Tom was selected from four finalists, two of them also with Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat club connections. The finalists included Laura Hemingway, a Tauranga Splash sailor, and the 29er crew of Alex Maloney from the Murray's Bay club, and Sam Bullock, from Tauranga.

With 50 competitors from 50 nations, the ISAF youth worlds single-handed event was the largest and arguably the toughest at the world's most esteemed youth regatta seen as the closest thing to an Olympic regatta for youth aged sailors.

Tom Saunders, and fellow Tauranga club members Sam Bullock, and Molly Meech competed at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Istanbul in July as part of the NZL Yachting Trust's national youth team.