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.
Tickets for the event are now on sale here and will be available until October 31 (or until sold out).
The full list of winners in the Andoo Youth Performance Awards category can be found below.
Click here for the Yamaha New Zealand Service Awards and the Kiwi Yachting Cruising Awards winners
Click here for the Radix Nutrition Performance Awards winners
Andoo Youth Performance Awards
Caleb Armit
Caleb Armit (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
Caleb secured his first international success in the ILCA 7 (Laser) by claiming bronze against 114 competitors from 31 nations at the ILCA under-21 World Championship in Morocco last October. At 18, Caleb was 16th after the first day but earned six top-10 finishes in 11 races, including two thirds, to clinch his medal. He also received his club's award for exceptional contribution as a sailor.
Ewan Brazle
Ewan Brazle (Manly Sailing Club)
Ewan continued to dominate the O'pen Skiff class both in New Zealand and internationally, winning his second consecutive under-15 World Championship title at Lake Garda, Italy, where he triumphed in 10 of 11 races against 187 sailors. Ewan also claimed his third straight national title, in addition to winning the Sir Peter Blake Regatta, Northland O'pen Cup, Wellington O'pen Cup, and O'pen Skiff North Island champs.
Will Leech and Sean Kensington
Will Leech (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) and Sean Kensington (Kohimarama Yacht Club)
Will and Sean teamed up in the 29er last season and immediately found success. They finished third at their first national championship together and matched that result at the 2024 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland. The duo also won Junior Sail Auckland, the Auckland championships, and the youth trials, securing a place at the 2024 Youth Sailing World Championships, where they finished 10th after leading early in the regatta.
Joe Leith (right) and Josh Ferrissey
Joe Leith and Josh Ferrissey (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
This 420 crew reached a major milestone in January, winning bronze at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, their first world medal in a fleet of nearly 80 boats. Joe and Josh were also the highest-placed Kiwis at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Buzios last December, finishing fifth. They’ve also won both the class national title and the Peter Blake Regatta for two years running.
Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush
Seb Menzies (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) and George Lee Rush (Wakatere Boating Club)
Seb and George have made significant strides in the men’s skiff over the past 12 months. They narrowly missed a medal at the 2024 49er Junior World Championships in Galicia, Spain, after leading early in the event. In May, they achieved a top-20 finish at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, racing against many of the Paris 2024 Olympic contenders.
Greta Pilkington
Greta Pilkington (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
Greta secured two top-10 finishes (at Sail Melbourne and Sail Sydney) during her first full season of international competition in the ILCA 6 (Laser Radial). She qualified for the gold fleet at the French Olympic Week regatta in Hyeres and won consecutive Oceanbridge Sail Auckland titles in 2023 and 2024. Greta also earned Olympic selection, becoming the first Kiwi in the ILCA 6 class to qualify since 2012, while completing her architecture degree at Auckland University.
Helena Sanderson (right)
Helena Sanderson (Wakatere Boating Club)
Helena delivered a strong performance at the 2023 Waszp International Games, finishing second female and first under-17 female in a fleet of over 90 sailors. She was also recently appointed as a coach at Wakatere Boating Club, where she has impressed with her commitment, organisation, and broad skill set.
Zach Stibbe
Zach Stibbe (Otago Yacht Club)
Zach stood out at the 2024 Youth World Championships at Lake Garda, Italy, finishing fifth in the boys’ ILCA 6 after contending for a podium place until the final race. This followed his silver medal in the open fleet at Kiel Week and fourth overall at the Europa Cup Germany in Warnemünde.
Zofia Wells
Zofia Wells (Glendowie Boating Club)
Already one of New Zealand’s top Optimist sailors, Zofia excelled on the international stage this year. She finished second girl and eighth overall at the Australian national championships in January and won the girls' title at the New Zealand event in March. At the European Championships in Carrara, Italy, Zofia placed an impressive seventh after leading early in the regatta and finishing third in a gold-fleet race.
Westlake Girls High School
Westlake Girls High School Sailing Team
The team, comprising Daniella Wooldridge, Emma Reid, Jessica Handley, Gretel Satterthwaite, Danielle Robertson, Bella Jenkins, Emily Turner, Zara Latimer, Charlotte Handley, and Julia Nguyen, cemented their status as New Zealand’s top girls’ school sailing team. In October 2023, they became only the third Kiwi women’s team to win the prestigious Interdominion Championship abroad. They also won back-to-back titles at the NZ secondary schools team sailing and keelboat national championships, as well as the Auckland Cup regional team sailing crown for the third consecutive year.
