Issue date
The date for the 2023 Aon 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 service awards supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand and the cruising category supported by Kiwi Yachting. The major awards will be handed out at a gala event at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on November 24.
Yamaha Motor New Zealand Service Awards winners:
Bart Allsop-Smith
Bart Allsop-Smith and Taylor Williams (Pine Harbour Cruising Club)
Bart has volunteered as a race officer for over 20 years and has played a big role in educating skippers on Yachting New Zealand's racing rules and training and supporting several others - including his own grandson, Taylor. The 20-year-old now often takes on the race officer responsibilities on his own while also helping his grandad to assist other clubs like the Waikato Yacht Squadron with the running of the Gulf Classic.
Bruce Benson
Bruce Benson (Point Chevalier Sailing Club)
Point Chevalier Sailing Club’s Learn to Sail programme has seen a boom over the past seven years – thanks in no small part to Bruce’s efforts. Since taking over the LTS duties in 2016, he has committed a significant amount of his own time to growing the programme, coaching, and recruiting coaches, and managing support boats. This has seen an estimated 300+ junior sailors complete the programme under Bruce’s guidance.
Chris Bowman
Chris Bowman (Northcote Birkenhead Yacht Club)
Chris has been the Commodore at NBYC for the last eight years, overseeing the club’s growth from fewer than 20 members to a financially viable organisation with an oversubscribed Learn to Sail programme. In this time, he has built a small but effective team with a clear strategy for the club, ensuring it supports the local community and has navigated several challenges – including the erosion of the cliff behind the club, parking, and use of its wharf, boat ramp and pontoon.
Ann Byford.
Ann Byford (Clarks Beach Yacht Club)
Ann is credited with reviving the club’s Learn to Sail programme in 2021, following a decade of inactivity. To do this, she completed her LTS coaching training during Covid lockdowns and raised money to repair the club’s aged fleet of Optimists and Sunbursts. The first LTS intake graduated from the programme in October last year, and Ann has also arranged skipper courses to ensure confident and capable drivers during LTS and club days.
Alan Dawson.
Alan Dawson (Waiuku Yacht Club)
Alan has served on the WYC committee for over 20 years, including three years as Commodore and 14 years as club captain. During this time, he has used his extensive networks for significant maintenance and development work on the clubhouse and surrounds, while also working alongside the council and other community groups to manage the foreshore. Alan has also kept the patrol boat fleet up to standard, developed a Finn fleet, rebuilt several Hartley 16s, regularly cooked fundraiser sausages, and mowed the rigging area when needed.
John Elliott
John Elliot (Hamilton Yacht Club)
A member of the club for almost 50 years, John is the most successful Farr 3.7 sailor in New Zealand history, winning the national title nine times. Equally impressive is his work in numerous administrative roles at the club – where he has been a long-term race and safety officer – and the Farr 3.7 class association – in which he has served as secretary and president for a combined 39 years. John also has a distinguished involvement with the Waikato Thames Yachting Association.
Egor Leonenko.
Egor Leonenko (Gulf Harbour Yacht Club)
Few have contributed more to simplifying racing in this country than Egor, through the development of several automation tools including the Voice Start Timer and Beat Length Calculator applications (apps). These apps have improved the accuracy of race management and have replaced pages of tables and graphs. Egor’s dedication to his craft has reduced the number of people required on start vessels, enabled quick decisions to be made easily when under time pressure, and helped minimise human error - ensuring almost anyone can now run good racing.
Paul Mygind
Paul Mygind (Paremata Boating Club)
When it comes to club sailing, there’s seemingly nothing Paul Mygind can’t do. He has been volunteering and sailing at the club since the 1980s and has organised and taught the Learn to Sail programme, served for many years as a race officer, authored countless sailing instructions, and been a scorer, umpire, handicapper, and sailing committee member. Paul can also be found working on the club buildings and teaching and mentoring other volunteers in his warm and understated way.
Sarah Wiblin
Sarah Wiblin (Short Handed Sailing Association of New Zealand)
When Cyclone Gabrielle threatened to derail the 2023 Round North Island race, organisers needed someone with a cool head and plenty of drive and energy. Fortunately, Sarah Wiblin has that in spades. She is the woman behind the successful last-minute stopover change during this year’s race and, for the last five years contributed to the retention of large fleets at SSANZ events and increased sponsorship opportunities through her work marketing and promoting the association.
Chris Williams
Chris Williams (Waikawa Boating Club)
Chris has had a lifelong association with the club since his dad, Gwynn, was the club commodore. Over the years, Chris has contributed in a multitude of ways – from serving as Rear Commodore responsible for moorings and assets to several years on the management executive, and the sailing committee. He managed the funding and building of a fit-for-purpose start boat for the club and has also been the driving force behind its offshore racing programme.
Kiwi Yachting Cruising Award winner:
Viki Moore (Island Cruising NZ)
Island Cruising NZ
A business since the 1980s, Island Cruising NZ has gone from strength to strength in recent years, culminating in a record 87 entries for this year’s Pacific Rally. This included participants from yacht clubs from across New Zealand and the world, as well as a total of 35 children cruising in Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Island Cruising NZ continues to provide expert advice, support and training courses for people planning on sailing on long coastal or overseas voyages, as well as assistance to cruisers visiting this country. It also helps to promote the New Zealand marine industry and provides social networking, discounts, and other events for its members.
