Karleen Dixon will be chasing a ninth title at next month's Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Women's Keelboat National Championships.
Dixon, who's won the last two titles, will bring her experienced crew to the event but they won't have it all their own way with two-time champion and 2019 winner Sally Garrett also lining up. Among Garrett's crew is 2012 Olympian Sara Winther.
The New Zealand Women's Keelboat National Championships has been running since 1990, when Leslie Egnot claimed the honours. It will be raced out of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on April 2-3 in the MRX keelboats.
"It celebrates women in sailing, and showcases a wide range of abilities, from recent learn to sail graduates and youth training programme teams to the big names who have been competing in this regatta for years who have paved the pathway for women in this sport," said regatta organiser Megan Thomson, who will be aiming to improve on her third-placed finish last year.
"I hope we continue to see growth throughout the fleet, with teams from out of town in particular."
Entries close at noon on Friday and are open to crews of 5-7 sailors, including the skipper.
See here for more information, including the notice of race and entry form.
- Pic: Karleen Dixon and her crew on their way to winning last year's title. Photo: RNZYS.