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A handful of new combinations shone, while some senior campaigners were made to sweat in near-perfect conditions on the opening day of the 2025 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland.
The regatta, New Zealand’s premier sailing event for youth and Olympic classes, lived up to its reputation for pitting rising stars against the country’s top sailors as several recent Olympians had to dig deep against their less experienced competitors at Torbay Sailing Club.
One of the most impressive performances of the day came from ILCA 6 sailor Naiomi Ferrissey, who holds a two-point lead over Greta Pilkington. Pilkington, who made her Olympic debut in Marseille last year and won the ILCA national title dominantly in Nelson in January, bounced back from a disappointing sixth-place finish in the opening race to win the last two. Ferrissey's scores of 1-3-2 kept her at the top of the 22-boat fleet. Arran Begic is the best-placed male sailor in third, with Tom Pilkington, Beau Utting, and Chloe Turner rounding out the top six.
Naiomi Ferrissey leads the ILCA 6 fleet after day 1. Photos / Jacob Fewtrell Media
Tom Saunders, another Paris 2024 Olympian and former class world champion, saved his best for the final race of the day, claiming a bullet to take the overall lead in the ILCA 7 competition. However, only three points separate the top four boats, with Singapore’s Ryan Lo second, Dylan Forsyth third, and George Gautrey fourth.
It was a near-perfect start in the 420 for Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson, who won all three races in the double-handed dinghy. They have already opened up a seven-point lead over Aani and Ellie Tapper, with Cam Brown and Oli Stone eight points adrift after picking up a UFD in race one.
New 420 crew Tessa Clinton and Amelia Higson. Photos / Jacob Fewtrell Media
Equally dominant on day one were Erica Dawson and Molly Meech in the 49erFX. Dawson, who won Olympic bronze in the mixed multihull with Micah Wilkinson in Marseille, joined Meech - a Rio 2016 silver medallist - "for a bit of fun" in the women's skiff and they would have enjoyed their perfect start, winning all four races. They now hold a five-point lead over Nicola and Rebecca Hume, with Erin and Isla Kee a further three points behind.
The eagerly anticipated battle in the 49er fleet did not disappoint, with Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush coming out on top in the early exchanges. The talented duo, former junior world champions in the 49erFX, won three of their four races, while Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan claimed the other. Menzies and Rush lead Bacon and McGlashan by eight points, with Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren in third. Recently crowned national champions Campbell Stanton and Will Shapland sit seventh after a disappointing day in light conditions.
Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush came out on top on day 1 in a deep 49er fleet. Photos / Jacob Fewtrell Media
A final-race bullet kept Will Leech and Will Mason within reach of 29er fleet leaders Nelsen Meacham and Tim Howse. The Wills are three points adrift after four races, with Peer Kruse and Leo Brown in third. Meanwhile, a second-place finish in the final race pushed Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley up to fourth.
As they have done for much of the past month, Josh Armit and Eli Liefting traded victories in the iQFOiL 8m competition, with Liefting ending the day with a two-point advantage. He won three races to Armit’s one, as both sailors continue adjusting to the new sail sizes introduced by World Sailing late last year. Armit, who finished fourth in Marseille, was beaten by Liefting at the windfoil national championships three weeks ago but got his own back at FOIL Bay of Islands last weekend.
Meanwhile, fellow Paris Olympian Veerle ten Have has work to do, trailing Stella Bilger by four points after Bilger won three of the first four races in the 7m competition. Aimee Bright rounds out the podium spots with two second-place finishes.
Lukas Walton-Keim in action at the 2025 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland. Photos / Jacob Fewtrell Media
A solitary point separates Lukas Walton-Keim and Toby Wigglesworth in the kitefoil fleet. Walton-Keim, another Olympic debutant last year, won races 1, 3, and 5, while Wigglesworth took victories in races 2 and 4. Lochy Naismith sits third, with Lucy Bilger in fourth.
Latest results and standings from day one of the 2025 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, hosted by Torbay Sailing Club.
420 fleet (6 boats)
1. Tessa Clinton/Amelia Higson 1 1 1 - 3 points
2. Aani Tapper/Ellie Tapper 2 4 4 - 10 pts
3. Cam Brown/Oli Stone 7UFD 2 2 - 11 pts
ILCA 6 fleet (22 boats)
1. Naiomi Ferrissey 1 3 2 - 6 pts
2. Greta Pilkington 6 1 1 - 8 pts
3. Arran Begic 2 2 8 - 12 pts
ILCA 7 fleet (8 boats)
1. Tom Saunders 2 3 1 - 6 pts
2. Ryan Lo 3 1 3 - 7 pts
3. Dylan Forsyth 4 2 2 - 8 pts
29er fleet (13 boats)
1. Nelsen Meacham/Tim Howse 1 1 1 3 - 6 pts
2. Will Leech/Will Mason 3 2 3 1 - 9 pts
3. Peer Kruse/Leo Brown 2 5 2 6 - 15 pts
4. Bella Jenkins/Jess Handley 6 6 5 2 - 19 pts
12. Kate Rasmussen/Rose Dickey 12 10 13 12 - 47 pts
49er fleet (10 boats)
1. Seb Menzies/George Lee Rush 1 3 1 1 - 6 pts
2. Sam Bacon/Blake McGlashan 3 1 6 4 - 14 pts
3. Francesco Kayrouz/Hamish McLaren 5 6 2 3 - 16 pts
49erFX fleet (3 boats)
1. Erica Dawson/Molly Meech 1 1 1 1 - 4 pts
2. Nicola Hume/Rebecca Hume 2 3 2 2 - 9 pts
3. Erin Kee/Isla Kee 4SOP 2 3 3 - 12 pts
iQFOiL 7.3m fleet (9 boards)
1. Stella Bilger 1 1 1 2 - 5 pts
2. Veerle ten Have 3 2 3 1 - 9 pts
3. Aimee Bright 2 4 2 3 - 11 pts
iQFOiL 8m fleet (9 boards)
1. Eli Liefting 1 2 1 1 - 5 pts
2. Josh Armit 2 1 2 2 - 7 pts
3. Blake Hinsley 3 3 3 4 - 13 pts
Kitefoil fleet (4 boards)
1. Lukas Walton-Keim 1 (2) 1 2 1 - 5
2. Toby Wigglesworth 2 1 (4) 1 2 - 6 pts
3. Lochy Naismith 3 3 3 3 (4) - 12 pts
4. Lucy Bilger (4) 4 2 4 3 - 13 pts
