With a 7th overall in the mega-large fleet at the KBC Laser Worlds in Dun Laoghaire in July followed by December’s 9th overall in World Sailing’s Aon Youth Sailing Worlds in Auckland, Nicole Hemeryck – who turned 18 in December – not only emerged as top Irish girl sailor for 2016, but her results at the December Worlds were ahead of the showing by the Irish boys.
Consistency was the keynote of Hemeryck’s performance in the top class 47-strong Auckland fleet. Never out of the top half, She discarded a 23rd, and though she’d to carry a 22nd and an 18th, her scoreline was otherwise healthy at 6,9,6,9,10 and 9. Obviously she acknowledges there’s room for improvement, but she can take encouragement from the 37 sailors who finished behind her in the overall rankings, as there are many formidable talents among them, with Britain placing 13th, China 14th, USA 15th and Denmark 16th, while host country New Zealand had to be content with 18th.