Issue date
The date for the 2025 Barfoot & Thompson Yachting Excellence Awards is fast approaching, and the winners in four categories have already been announced.
In the first of a three-part series, meet the winners of the Youth Performance Awards supported by Appliances Online.
The major awards will be handed out at a celebratory event at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on Friday, 28 November 2025.
Click here to buy your tickets.
Click here for the Radix Nutrition Performance Awards winners.
Appliances Online Youth Performance Awards winners
Ella Arnold and Ben Roff (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
Arnold and Roff claimed first place on PHRF in the 2025 SSANZ Northern Triangle aboard their Ross 830 Flaming Lips. As the youngest crew on the smallest boat, they outperformed seasoned competitors with decades of racing experience. Beyond their victory, the pair managed the remarkable feat of sourcing the boat, organising upgrades, and assembling a successful campaign, demonstrating exceptional skill, determination, and teamwork. Their achievement stands out as a striking example of youth sailors excelling in an open fleet.
Matteo Barker (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
Barker finished 10th in a 281-boat fleet at the 2025 Optimist World Championships and is a two-time New Zealand male national champion (2024-2025). Domestically, he claimed first place at both the North Island and Auckland Optimist championships. Transitioning to the 29er, Barker also achieved fourth at his first New Zealand national championships in the class, demonstrating rapid progression and versatility across classes.
Stella Bilger (Wakatere Boating Club)
Bilger won the iQFOiL under-23 World Championships in Portimão, Portugal, claiming gold after a decisive second medal race. The 20-year-old executed a tactical split from her rivals to secure victory, leading a Kiwi one-two with teammate Aimee Bright taking silver. Bilger qualified fourth and advanced through the semifinals to reach the final, finishing second in the opening medal race before clinching the title in the decider, showing poise and tactical skill under high-speed, competitive conditions.
Aimee Bright (Manly Sailing Club)
Bright enjoyed a breakout season - finishing 15th overall and in the top-five in the under-23 division at the 2025 iQFOiL World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. She notched three top-five finishes, including a bullet in qualifying and a third in a gold fleet race, building on her 14th-place result at the 2025 Princess Sofia Regatta. Bright also won silver at the under-23 World Championships in Portugal and at Sail Melbourne, was third at the New Zealand national championships, and coaches O'pen Skiffs, windsurfing, and iQFOiL with the Russell Coutts Sailing Foundation.
Mattias Coutts (Manly Sailing Club)
At just 19, Coutts claimed the 2024 PredictWind Moth World Championships hosted by his home club, becoming only the second Kiwi Moth world champion after Peter Burling in 2015. He also won the 2025 Moth nationals and the 2024 STACK Winter Champs. Coutts has since begun a 49er campaign with Oscar Gunn, placing second in the silver fleet at the 2025 European Championships, while maintaining strong Moth results, including sixth at Foiling Week and 12th at the 2025 Moth Worlds.
Xervier Doney (Titahi Bay Boating Club)
Seventeen-year-old Doney claimed two world titles at the 2025 Para Sailing International Championships in Sydney, competing in the Hansa World Championships. He won the Hansa 303 one-person event and the two-person division with his father, Paul, defeating international competition from Australia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. A member of Sailability Wellington and a student at Wa Ora Montessori High School, Doney began sailing at age five and racing in the singles class just six months prior to his triumph. He is believed to be the first New Zealander with Down syndrome to achieve this level of international sailing success.
George Pilkington (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
Pilkington enjoyed a stellar year in the ILCA 7 class, finishing fifth at the under-21 World Championships, just five points shy of the podium. He also claimed bronze at the UK ILCA 7 National Championships as the top under-21 sailor and won the under-21 New Zealand national crown (placing third overall). Known for his focus, resilience, and self-directed training, Pilkington demonstrates exceptional technical skill and tactical awareness, balancing study and international competition with maturity and dedication.
Jake Pye (Manly Sailing Club)
Pye secured bronze at the 2025 Moth World Championships, recovering from a slow start with a second-place in the final race. He finished just two points behind Australian SailGP and America's Cup helmsman Tom Slingsby and was crowned the top youth sailor in a star-studded fleet. Pye had earlier finished second at the 2025 Foiling Week in Malcesine, Italy, on countback after tying on points with Enzo Ballanger, and claimed silver at the 2024 Moth Worlds at Manly Sailing Club, winning eight of 16 races.
Summer Torbet (Manly Sailing Club)
Torbet excelled at the 2025 Open Skiff World Championships in Nishinomiya, Japan, finishing first girl and third overall in the under-13 fleet, with nine top-five finishes and two race wins. In the under-17 division, Valentina Gladiadis placed second girl and 14th overall. Ten New Zealand sailors represented the country across the age groups, showcasing strong performances throughout the regatta.
Chloe Turner (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
Turner won the ILCA 6 under-17 female title at the 2025 Youth World Championships in Los Angeles, finishing 13th overall in the 81-boat girls fleet. On the final day, she prioritised securing the under-17 crown over an overall top-10 finish, ending 14 points ahead of her nearest age-group rival. Turner was coached throughout the week by New Zealand Olympian Tom Saunders, whose guidance helped her deliver a controlled and consistent performance to claim the youth world title.
Zofia Wells (Glendowie Boating Club) and Charlotte Handley (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
Wells and Handley were crowned 2025 RS Feva world champions in Aix-les-Bains, France, finishing second overall and first female crew in a fleet of 168 boats after final-day racing was cancelled. The Kiwi pair dominated the regatta with a clean sweep on day two and a bullet in the finals series. Over the past year, they have consistently achieved podiums in junior classes, including at the RS Feva nationals, Optimist and P Class events, demonstrating teamwork, focus, and adaptability in single- and double-handed boats.
Westlake Girls High School sailing team
Westlake Girls High School's premier sailing team - captain Jess Handley, Charlotte Handley, Kiera Dimock, Emily Turner, Bella Jenkins, Danielle Robertson, Gretel Satterthwaite, Julia Nguyen - claimed the female division title at the Interdominion Secondary Schools Team Sailing Championships in Goolwa, Australia, completing a remarkable three-peat. Auckland Grammar School finished second in the open division, flying the Kiwi flag against a strong field. The regatta brought together the top secondary school teams from New Zealand and Australia, with the Aussies taking the overall Interdominion Trophy.
