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Kate Stewart from Wakatere Boating Club on Auckland’s North Shore has been named 2014 winner of the Aon Emerging Talent Award becoming the first female to take the honour.
She was also the first recipient of the new Aon Emerging Talent Trophy that was custom designed in 2014.
Kate Stewart shows off the new Aon Emerging Talent Trophy © Will Calver/Ocean Photography
Kate, who turned 16 in September, is one of the hottest young talents in sailing taking 1st place in the prestigious Tauranga Cup for P-Class sailors.
The regatta was raced on Tauranga Harbour in January 2014 and going into the final race Kate was in a three-way tussle with just one point between 1st and 3rd on the leader-board.
Fighting back to overtake one of her rivals on the final leg Kate took out the Championship and goes down in history as the second female ever to have won the Tauranga Cup. (The other being Olympic silver medallist and America’s Cup skipper Leslie Egnot 35 years ago)
Kate pictured with Leslie Egnot © Will Calver/Ocean Photography
Kate has quickly progressed from the P-Class graduating to the double-handed 420 and more recently trying her hand in the 29er skiff.
Kate’s achievements over the past year include…
- 1st - P Class Tauranga Cup (January 2014)
- 1st - North Harbour P Class Tanner Cup trials
- 2nd – P Class Tanner Cup 2014
- 9th – Starling National Championships 2014
- 3rd – Sir Peter Blake Regatta 2014 – 420 class
- 13th – Australian 420 National Championships 2014
- 4th – New Zealand 420 National Championships
- 3rd – Oceanbridge Sail Auckland 420 Class
- 28th – 420 World Championships 2014
Kate Stewart in action © Jo Maidment
Aon New Zealand are also making a strong emergence into the New Zealand sailing community through the Aon National Youth Clinics and soon, the Aon Fast Track programme for the country’s most talented and accomplished young sailors entering Olympic Class sailing.
Aon have also put together an impressive package of benefits for Yachting New Zealand member clubs which is already helping to reduce the ever increasing burden of Club Insurance. http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/clubs/insurance
