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The Aon New Zealand national youth camp and Xmas Cup gave over 50 young Kiwi sailors a rare glimpse into life at the top of the sport, replicating the intensity of international competition.
Hosted at Manly Sailing Club over four days in December, some of the country's top young talent trained under Olympic stars, honing boat handling, starts, and race tactics in a high-performance environment.
Guided by Olympians Tom Saunders, Paul Snow-Hansen, Josh Armit, Jenny Armstrong, and Nathan Handley alongside top coaches Kate Stewart, Logan Dunning-Beck, Mike Bullot, Mark Howard, Geoff Woolley, and Markus Somerville - they tackled tough drills, long-distance sails, and fiercely competitive racing.
Yachting New Zealand youth and events manager Sam Mackay said the live-in format gave sailors a deep dive into elite sailing.
"It’s been years since we ran a national live-in camp, and it was fantastic. The extra time meant coaches could get to know sailors better and really drill down into key performance areas.
"We had an incredible coaching team and expert presentations throughout the week, including from Erica Dawson on her journey towards Olympic success in Marseille, as well as sessions on strength and conditioning from High Performance Sport New Zealand's Neil Yeates and Morgan Hutchings, and Emirates Team New Zealand's Kim Simperingham," Mackay said.
"Mornings started with fitness, including a run-swim session in Shakespear Regional Park."
Mark Howard and Tom Saunders shared their experience with some of the top young ILCA 6 sailors.
Blessed with brilliant summer weather, Mackay said sailors packed in plenty of time on the water.
"They worked on starting and boat speed every day, with a race day on the final day. The 29ers even took on a long sail around Motuora Island. It was a huge success, and we’re looking to make this a marquee event on the youth sailing calendar."
ILCA 6 sailor Rose Dickey found the camp both tough and rewarding. “We split into our classes and focused a lot on starts and boat handling,” she said. “The first day was light and rainy but it picked up, which made for some really fun sailing.”
Dickey relished training with Olympians. “Sometimes you forget, and then it hits you - wow, this is pretty cool. Not many sports offer this level of coaching. I’ve really improved, especially with my starts.”
For 29er sailor Joe Leith, the camp was a chance to sharpen every aspect of his sailing. “We worked on boat handling, boat speed, starts - just covering all the bases. It was amazing to see how top sailors and coaches approach their craft.”
Markus Somerville discussing tactics with Erin and Isla Kee.
His highlight? A five-hour long-distance sail. “It was a big one, but great to go for a proper destination yacht.”
He also found stepping into the 29er class a steep but rewarding learning curve. “It’s new for me, and moving into crew has been a challenge, but my partner Nelsen (Meacham) has been brilliant.”
Aon National youth clinics support New Zealand’s best young sailors striving for international success.
