Issue date
The first winners of this year's Barfoot & Thompson Yachting Excellence Awards have been announced, with club stalwarts and race committee members through to rising stars and seasoned international sailors honoured.
As in previous years, winners in four categories have been unveiled early with the major awards to be handed out at a gala event at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on November 22.
Ticket sales have closed.
The full list of winners in the Yamaha New Zealand Service Awards category and the winner of the Kiwi Yachting Cruising Award can be found below.
Click here for the Andoo Youth Performance Awards winners
Click here for the Radix Nutrition Performance Awards winners
Yamaha New Zealand Service Awards
Hayden Bell
Hayden Bell (Macandrew Bay Boating Club)
The Rear Commodore and Duty Manager of Macandrew Bay Boating Club, Hayden is the driving force behind a significant increase in memberships and sailors through his efforts to improve efficiencies at the club. This includes establishing online membership registration. He has also identified 63 schools in the Dunedin area that could benefit from Yachting New Zealand's RŪNĀ programme and has successfully worked with several of them to implement it this year.
Murray McDonald (left) and Warren Collingwood
Warren Collingwood and Murray McDonald (Waimakariri Sailing Club)
Few roles are more important than that of safety boat operator, and at Waimakariri Sailing Club, Murray and Warren are two of the best. For the last 23 years, Murray has been the first to arrive, check the fuel, launch, and run the engines. He also regularly serves as a race officer for club championships and other major regattas. Warren has held many important positions over the last 27 years, including club captain, secretary, and groundsman.
Delwyn Erceg
Delwyn Erceg (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
Delwyn is the Swiss Army Knife of the RNZYS – a race officer for the club's winter and Wednesday night series, as well as a coach and mentor to the wider race management team under the guidance of Megan Kensington. She is also the lead volunteer looking after the patrol boat and a core member of the team for events such as Squadron Weekend, the Secondary School Championships, and the Toyota Kiwi Cup Tour, which stopped at over 40 locations across New Zealand.
Peter Ganley
Peter Ganley (Thames Sailing Club)
Peter started sailing at the club at the age of nine and remains a member some 60 years later. He joined the committee at 19 and has held many executive positions, including Youth Training Officer, Handicapper, Waikato Thames Representative, Commodore, and President. Peter has managed the Thames Sailing Club Marina for the last 15 years and has been a life member since 2002. He is also an experienced yachtsman, having sailed a P Class, Cherub, Frostply, Farr 3.7, and several keelboats, including offshore.
Ross Hebner
Ross Hebner (Bucklands Beach Yacht Club)
In 2022, Ross became one of only 23 people to receive life membership in the club's 75-year history, and for good reason. He has been involved with the club since 1981 and started volunteering during the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup series. Ross has been a valued member of the race management team ever since and still performs race officer duties for Friday Rum races, the Winter Series, and mid-week races, and runs the Reactor races at the annual Auckland Anniversary Regatta.
Mike Leyland
Mike Leyland (Young 88 Owners Association)
Mike is the face of Young 88 sailing in New Zealand and has spent the last five years as Class President, growing the fleet. His efforts have seen the fleet in the South Island now rival Auckland's, while core events like the National and Regional Championships have had record entry numbers. Mike also established an online shop that stocks Young 88 parts that are not available off the shelf and has increased the class's social media reach.
Mervyn Read
Mervyn Read (Vauxhall Yacht Club)
If there's a dinghy regatta in Otago, chances are Mervyn is involved. Over the last four decades, 'Merv' has held various positions on the club committee, including Commodore, and he has organised countless major events and club races. Over the past year alone, he has helped bring to life the Sunburst National Championships, the South Island Laser Championships, the Dunedin Laser Weekend, Macandrew Bay Boating Club's 100th Centenary Regatta, and the Tera Nova Cup Day in Oamaru.
Alison Rutherford
Alison Rutherford (Pleasant Point Yacht Club)
Alison has been a stalwart of the Canterbury and West Coast sailing communities since joining PPYC in 1990. A race officer at various levels for over 25 years, her tireless work and cross-fleet experience have allowed many clubs in the region to host events with classes ranging from Optimists and Firebugs to Zephyrs and Young 88s. Alison was also instrumental in the club's rebuild after the Christchurch earthquakes, as well as the development of the Wāhine on the Water Regatta.
Joyce Talbot
Joyce Talbot (Auckland Anniversary Regatta)
Joyce is one of the most sought-after sailing administrators in the country and has been heavily involved in several high-profile regattas, including 12 Coastal Classics (her last in 2002). She helped run her first Auckland Anniversary Regatta in 2006 and has played key roles with the Classic Yacht Association and the NZ Sailing Foundation. Joyce's tireless work in the sport was recognised in this year’s New Year Honours List when she became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM).
Gill Waite
Gill Waite (Gulf Harbour Yacht Club)
Auntie Gill, as she is affectionately known by many, has become synonymous with Gulf Harbour Yacht Club since her first involvement in the late 1990s. She will retire this year after more than 20 years as Club Treasurer and general office administrator. Never one for the limelight, Gill has worked tirelessly in the background and has been a supportive, reliable, and generous part of the club.
Gordon Wallis (right)
Gordon Wallis (Ngaroto Sailing Club)
When algal blooms threatened Ngaroto Sailing Club's ability to sail dinghies on its peat lakes this season, the club decided to purchase three Elliott 5.9s. The only problem was the boats were located in Dunedin, 1200km away. Enter 73-year-old Wallis, who in just a few days managed to transport the vessels (with trailers) from one end of the country to the other using only his Toyota Land Cruiser and a trailer borrowed from a friend in exchange for two boxes of beer.
Kiwi Yachting Cruising Award
Don Salthouse
Don Salthouse (Opua Cruising Club)
Don was brought up in a well-known boatbuilding and designing family and has been sailing offshore since his 20s. Known for venturing well off the beaten track, he has spent plenty of time in the South Pacific and, more recently, in Indonesia. Don has assisted many local villages affected by adverse weather events - rebuilding damaged buildings and delivering gear to remote places. He enjoys fixing boats and motors and carries all his boatbuilding gear on board to help the locals get back out fishing and trading again.
