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Improving as a sailor isn't just about making gains on the water; the work you do before you push off is just as important.
That has been especially true for 2024 Olympian and new national ILCA 6 champion Greta Pilkington, who has put in the hard yards since returning from her debut Games in Marseille last August.
Pilkington recently claimed the national title in Nelson with a commanding 23-point lead, securing four wins and four second-place finishes in the 10-race series.
This follows her 34th place at the Games, where the 21-year-old became the first Kiwi to compete in the class since 2012. She defied her age and relative international inexperience to outperform several of the world's top women's dinghy sailors.
"It’s always a pleasure to race in New Zealand again after spending a lot of time competing overseas," Pilkington said.
"This was my first time racing in Nelson, and I focused more on the process of each race rather than the outcome — turning bad races into keepers, executing well, and taking it race by race. I believe that helped with my consistency."
She returned to home waters after securing top-10 finishes at three regattas in Australia — Sail Melbourne, Sail Brisbane, and the Australian ILCA national championships - late last year, following a short break from racing and training.
"After taking some time off following the Olympics, I’ve been working part-time at [Auckland architecture and design practice] Jasmax to keep my architectural studies progressing alongside sailing. It was great to get back in the boat in November to prepare for the local summer.
"The start of the year has been busy, with an incredible couple of months in Australia, and finishing off this block in Nelson was a great way to wrap it up."
Greta Pilkington won the ILCA 6 national title with George Lane (right) second and Tom Pilkington third. Photos / Live Sail Die
The nationals were made even more special as her youngest brother, Tom, finished third in the ILCA 6 fleet, while older brother, George, made the podium in the ILCA 7 competition.
Former world champion George Lane was second overall in the ILCA 6, with Coco Barrett (seventh overall) and Chloe Turner (eighth overall) the second and third female.
Phil Wild finished first in the Masters fleet, followed by Josh Edmonds and Werner Hennig, with Sandra Williams, Helen Spencer and Holly Curtis the best-placed females.
In the 37-boat ILCA 7 event, Caleb Armit won a thrilling battle against Dylan Forsyth on countback.
Brooke Mundy, Lucy Luxford and Ellie Tapper took the podium spots in the ILCA 4 fleet.
"Having my family there, supporting my brothers and me, was pretty special. We had four days of close racing, and it was fantastic to see so many talented young male and female sailors getting into ILCAs and having some great battles."
Pilkington credits her improvement to working closely with fellow Olympian and former ILCA 7 world champion Tom Saunders since Marseille.
"It was great to work with Tom post-Games and for the NZ nationals," she said. "He understands the challenges of performing under pressure and has made a massive difference to how I operate on and off the water. I've made good progress this year, not only in my sailing but also behind the scenes. Transitioning from being a full-time student while training for the Olympics to now being a full-time sailor is pretty exciting."
Next up is Oceanbridge Sail Auckland at the end of February before Pilkington heads back to Europe for the summer, with her focus already set on Los Angeles 2028.
"The Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma in March and the French Olympic Week in Hyères in April are two key events, followed by the women's world championship in Qingdao, China, in May," she said.
"I’m hoping to head to LA as preparations begin for 2028 before the European Championships in August. I've learnt a lot over the past few months, and I’m excited to carry that into this next cycle.
"I’m looking forward to what this year has in store."
Full results from the 2025 NZ ILCA National Championships can be found here.
