Laser, Finn and finally, quite literally, a Star debut is the natural course of things for many, including Josh Junior, courtesy of the 2014 Star Sailors League Finals, which is set to take place in The Bahamas in the first week in December.
Josh Junior, born Joseph Jon Joshua Junior, something of a record number of J's in anyone's initials, is a warm, bright, open character who is extremely cordial and very competitive. He made his sailing debut at the Worser Bay Boating Club in Wellington, New Zealand, having been encouraged into the sport by his father's passion.
Junior started off with the optimist and then the 420 before moving on to the Laser for which he earned a silver medal in the 2007 International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Youth Sailing World Championships in his last year in school. Since 2008, he has been moving from continent to continent, alternating study, work and training.
Junior finished 11th in the Laser worlds in Canada in 2009, having financed the trip himself. The following year, 2010, all the hard work really paid off when he was sixth in the worlds in Britain and second in the ranking even though he, unfortunately, did not qualify for the Olympics.
Since 2012, Junior has been focusing on youth training and promoting his native city through the Wellington Spirit Sailing Team. In the same period, he moved onto the Finn also, taking home impressive results such as a ninth place finish in 2013 and fifth this year in the world championships (he was the best of the non-Europeans) behind class experts, and old and new faces from the Star Sailors League. Josh Junior also took a major victory in the worlds test event at Santander in 2013.
He said: "I had a great season in the Finn, and finishing fifth at this year's worlds was really cool. I never sailed in the Star before, but I am really looking forward to a new and exciting challenge, and The Bahamas won't be too bad either! It is going to be really amazing to race against some of the world's most famous sailors. Torben Grael and Robert Scheidt have achieved a lot and are two people I really look up to, so to get the opportunity to race them will be incredible."
Junior will be just one of many high profile sailors coming to these shores for the 2014 Star Sailors League Finals.

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