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The annual Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards are always a highlight on the sailing calendar but guests this year are in for a treat on Friday when the helmsman of the four America's Cup teams participate in a panel discussion.
Close to 300 people will attend the gala dinner at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, which is also the home of the America's Cup trophy, when the sport celebrates achievements from grassroots level through to those performing on the world stage.
Some winners have already been announced - and you can read all about the service awards and cruising awards, youth performance awards and performance awards winners - but a number will be announced on Friday night, including the prestigious Sir Bernard Fergusson trophy for the Orbit Travel World Sailor of the Year.
There have been a number of standout performances over the past 12 months, despite the interruptions caused by Covid-19, with a number of sailors picking up national and world titles.
Peter Burling is one of them, having won two 49er world titles with Blair Tuke, and Burling will join Sir Ben Ainslie, Jimmy Spithill and Dean Barker for a chat with television personality Bernadine Oliver-Kerby about what it's like driving the incredible AC75s and what it will take to the oldest trophy in international sport.
It will be the first time all four helmsman have featured at an event in this country since all of the teams relocated to New Zealand.
These events can't happen without the support of partners and sponsors and Yachting New Zealand are lucky to have a family of sponsors who have backed this year's Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards.
Yachting New Zealand encourage everyone to support these businesses if they can, particularly in this Covid environment we live in.
The sponsors are:
