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 second of a three-part series, meet the winners of the performance awards supported by Radix Nutrition.
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 Appliances Online Youth Performance Awards winners.
Radix Nutrition Performance Awards
2.0 Racing Team (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
Megan Thomson and her 2.0 Racing Team delivered an outstanding performance at the 2025 World Sailing Women's Match Racing World Championship in Chicago, finishing runners-up after a tense final against France's Pauline Courtois. Pushing the five-time world champion to a deciding race, Thomson and crew Tiana Wittey, Josi Andres, Charlotte Porter, and Hattie Rogers showcased world-class skill and composure, underlining their position among the top match racing teams globally and matching their silver-medal result from Jeddah in 2024.
Emirates Team New Zealand
Emirates Team New Zealand etched their name into sailing history by winning the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup in Barcelona, becoming the first team ever to lift the Auld Mug three times consecutively. In a tense final match against INEOS Britannia, the Kiwis showcased precision, composure, and tactical brilliance to secure victory by 37 seconds, cementing their legacy as one of the most dominant teams in America’s Cup history.
George Gautrey (Muritai Yacht Club)
Gautrey made a strong return to international ILCA 7 competition in 2025, claiming silver at the European Championships in Marstrand, Sweden. A thrilling final day saw him win his third race of the regatta to finish second overall and top non-European sailor, just 11 points behind Britain's Mickey Beckett. His consistent season also included top results in Palma, Hyères, and Long Beach, marking an impressive resurgence following more than a year away from the class.
Sean Herbert (Manly Sailing Club)
New Zealand's top wingfoiler continued his rapid rise on the world stage, winning bronze at the Formula Wing World Championship in Cagliari, Sardinia, after a dramatic final day marked by shifting winds and tight racing. The 23-year-old Aucklander also claimed bronze at his World Cup debut in Switzerland, dominated the US Wingfoil Championships in San Francisco, and defended his national title - becoming the first to win it twice consecutively - while adding the national Triple Crown and Hawaii State titles to a standout 2025 season.
Knots Racing (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
The team has consistently excelled on the global match racing stage, securing silver at the 2024 World Match Racing Tour Final in Shenzhen, China, propelling them to number two in the World Sailing Match Racing rankings. Nick Egnot-Johnson and crew Jack Frewin, Zak Merton and Chris Main also claimed silver at the 2025 Macao Match Cup (Leg 1 of the 2025 World Match Racing Tour) and bronze at the 2024 Bermuda Gold Cup (Leg 3). Many of the core members of the team have sailed together since their time in the RNZYS Youth Training Programme.
Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie (Torbay Sailing Club)
McHardie and McKenzie narrowly missed out on a place in the revamped medal race at the 49er World Championships in Cagliari in October, their first major regatta since winning silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last August. The McKiwis were well in contention to advance under the newly introduced top-20 race before an untimely capsize ended their challenge. Starting sixth overall, they needed to climb into the top four to reach the winner-take-all final. The pair were crowned Orbit World Travel Sailor of the Year at the 2024 Barfoot & Thompson Yachting Excellence Awards.
Seb Menzies (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) and George Lee Rush (Wakatere Boating Club)
Rising Kiwi 49er team Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush struck gold at the European Championships in Greece, New Zealand's first major 49er success since McHardie and McKenzie's Paris 2024 Olympic silver. The pair led from day two in Thessaloniki, notching 11 top-10 finishes from 12 fleet races and placing fourth in the double-points medal race to win by 54 points. They also won the inaugural Palm Beach Motor Yachts trans-Tasman 49er series at Hamilton Island Race Week, cementing their growing reputation on the world stage.
Anna Merchant and Aaron Hume-Merry
Aaron Hume-Merry and Anna Merchant finished fifth at the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championships in Cowes, sailing NZL 1 in Sun Fast 30 One Design yachts. After narrowly missing the top-five cut in their 140nm qualifier, they won a dramatic 89-mile repechage to reach the 114nm final. Racing among the world’s top offshore crews, they navigated shifting breezes and strong Solent tides with precision, improving on their 2024 Lorient result, where they finished ninth in their qualifying group.
Callisto and Caro (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron finished fourth overall at the 2025 Admiral's Cup, falling just short of the podium in the event's long-awaited return. Their two-boat team, Callisto in AC Class 2 and Caro in AC Class 1, performed strongly across three challenging race stages, including the 160-nautical mile Channel Race, six Solent short-course races, and the 695-nautical mile Rolex Fastnet Race, which carried triple points. Callisto claimed second in AC2, just one point behind Jolt 6, while Caro was eighth in AC1.
Veerle ten Have
Ten Have finished 10th at the iQFOiL World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, denied a last-minute shot at making the top-8 medal series due to light winds. The 24-year-old Tauranga sailor made a strong start to her new Olympic campaign, having already claimed bronze at the 2025 Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma. She won eight races in qualifying and advanced to the four-board final, finishing behind Emma Wilson (Britain) and replicating her top-10 finish from her 2024 Olympic debut.
