The opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best sailors at last weekend’s Sail GP Inspire event provided even more fuel for the fast growing and rapidly improving youth sailors of the Wānaka Yacht Club (WYC).

WYC parent volunteer Roger North said there has been a huge surge in the club’s youth contingent in the last sailing season.

“Suddenly we appear to have about three times as many youth as ever before,” he told the Wānaka App. 

“The existing initiatives have been boosted by lots of parental help with maintenance, racing and administration."

Eight of those youth sailors attended the Sail GP Inspire event (which combines racing with advice and support from some of the world’s top sailors) in Lyttelton.

It showcased the RS Feva dinghy with nine races over three days, culminating in a Sail GP grandstand fly-past and an award ceremony before 4,000 sailing fans.

While learning from the best was an inspiring experience, local sailors also showed they are competing near the top nationally.

Eight members of the local club got the chance to compete against sailors from around the country and get advice from some of the sport’s best sailors and coaches.

WYC’s Mabel North (skipper) and Madison Smith (crew) secured second place in the all-female category, ahead of the girls from Royal Akarana Club in Auckland, but with work still to do to catch the World Champion girls from Maraetai.

Roger is Mabel’s dad and he said she sails almost every day, helps with the learn-to-sail programme, and “sails as hard as she can”.

“She was already keen but this Inspire programme has, ironically enough, inspired her to really go for it.”

Receiving advice and tips from the “really down to earth” coaches, world champs and Olympians added “the cool factor” for the eight local sailors who participated.

Top performers from Wānaka were Thomas Jurczyluk and Oli Wyeth, who were rarely far from the lead and sailed with belief and consistency. 

WYC youth members Dan Russell, Allie and Aani Tapper and Eddie Doyle-Stewart sailed in teams blended with other clubs, performing well with respectable mid-fleet positions on the competitive stage. 

The local club’s results are the culmination of a massive effort, from both the sailors plus the coaches and parents who collectively provide “all the pieces of the jigsaw” to train up the talented sailors. 

“We have loads of people helping,” Roger said. 

“People see good stuff going on and want to get stuck in; then seeing their joy and enthusiasm their parents get stuck in as well. This combined with an extremely supportive club committee has elevated Wānaka to one of the most active clubs in the south.”

Roger gave a special thank you to the “infectiously enthusiastic” Lily Grimshaw, a local engineer originally from the United States who has been providing extensive volunteer coaching to the youth sailors.

He also thanked the Lions Foundation, Foodstuffs South Island Community Trust and the Grassroots Trust Central for their generous support.

Fourteen Te Kura O Tititea Mount Aspiring College sailors have been training hard for the 2023 Secondary Schools Team Racing National Championships - a fast and furious form of racing where teams of multiple boats compete against each other - which will take place in mid-April. 

Roger estimates the sailors have competed in up to 200 races ahead of the event, and locals can watch these races any Sunday afternoon from 2pm as well as all-day regattas on April 2 and April 9 - which will be the last races before the young sailors travel to the North Island for the big event. 

Wānaka Yacht Club actively supports a learn-to-sail programme and an ever-increasing amount of youth opportunities beyond. Find out more here.

PHOTOS: Supplied