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Over 130 young female sailors are preparing to set sail at Kohimarama Yacht Club this weekend for the highly anticipated PredictWind Girls Regatta, the biggest all-female youth regatta in Australasia.
Now in its 35th year, the regatta has become a cornerstone of New Zealand's female sailing community, fostering connections and inspiring the next generation. Supported by PredictWind for the past decade, the event provides a unique platform for girls from diverse sailing classes not only to compete, but to forge lasting friendships and mentorship opportunities.
"The Girls Regatta has been conducted for the past 35 years with the purpose of connecting girls from different classes and to inspire each other," explains Tracy Bilger, Director at PredictWind. "We were inundated with feedback from the girls about how much they love the regatta, with many saying it was their favourite on the calendar."
The regatta has played a big part in nurturing talent and launching some of New Zealand's top female sailors. Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics and silver at the Rio Olympics in 2016, as well as current New Zealand national kitefoil champion Lucy Bilger, all honed their skills at this event.
The impact of the regatta extends beyond competitive success, creating a supportive and empowering environment.
As Emily Davidson, a former participant and now a coach, reflects: "It was always my favourite regatta of the season because it was all about fun and confidence building. It was great to see all my friends from different clubs and being surrounded by other driven female sailors created an environment where competition felt empowering, not intimidating."
Stella Bilger has been inspired by the PredictWind Girls Regatta. Photos / Georgia Schofield
Windfoiler Stella Bilger adds: "It has been super inspiring to watch all the women in sailing come together from different ages and classes. We all get to share our joy and love for sailing together and encourage each other along the way."
Beyond the racing, the regatta provides invaluable insights through female guest speakers from prestigious sailing events like the Ocean Race, SailGP, and the America's Cup.
These sessions offer young sailors inspiration and a glimpse into the diverse pathways available within the sport.
Lucy Bilger captures the spirit of the event perfectly.
"No pun intended but the PredictWind Girls regatta was always a breath of fresh air on the sailing calendar. The Girls’ Regatta facilitated meeting lots of girls from other sailing classes and the guest speakers were incredibly inspiring women who showed me there were many pathways for continuing my passion for sailing."
PredictWind's commitment to supporting women in sailing extends beyond the regatta. In addition to sponsorships and free forecasting subscriptions provided to various female sailing teams, the NZ company is also a proud sponsor of Two Point Zero Racing, a New Zealand women’s match racing team that sails out of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
