Wānaka’s young sailors capped off an incredible season with some of its best results ever at the Teams Sailing National Championships in Algies Bay on the Hauraki Gulf last week. 

The local competitors had been training hard for the event, with more than 200 practise races for the fast and furious “tactical chess on water” that is teams racing, Wānaka Yacht Club (WYC) team manager Roger North said. 

The local sailors competed against young people from 27 other schools around the country during the five-day competition - and came out proving they are a club to watch.

The Mount Aspiring College (MAC) mixed team, captained by Sebastian Rhind, finished second in the silver fleet, which represents a 11-place gain on previous performances and has them ranked 12th in the country.

The brand new MAC girls team, captained by Erica Hudson, debuted in fourth place in the female-only category, narrowly missing out on qualifying for a trip to Sydney.

The girls’ team debuted in fourth place in the female-only category.

Roger said the local club members’ were thrilled with the results at the “highlight of the year” event.

“Our big efforts this year in the club have paid off and I’m confident we will keep moving up [the rankings],” Roger said.

Coach Lily Grimshaw attributed the huge gains at the competition to team spirit and commitment to training, plus the great support network from parents and WYC. 

The small club has had a huge surge in youth numbers in the last year or so and many parents and community members have stepped in to offer support and assistance.

Read more: Inspiration for young Wānaka sailors.

“The club wholeheartedly supports youth sailing and is rapidly expanding its fleet and its weekly opportunities,” Roger said. “We're also really lucky to have such high quality coaching.” 

He said WYC would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved.

“We aim to keep it fun, affordable and excellent and encourage anyone who wants to get back into sailing to not miss out,” he said.

The club thanked the Grassroots Trust Central for the financial support which helped WYC members attend the competition.

PHOTO: Supplied