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New Zealand’s most prestigious trophy for sailors with a disability, the Kiwi Cup, has been re-awarded for 2013 after an eligibility appeal was successful regarding the Napier crew of Katy Kenah and Robbie Love.
The biennial award goes to the lowest scoring sailor/s across all divisions at the Access/Hansa National Championships who have a classifiable disability. At the regatta which finished on 27 January 2013, Access Liberty National Champion Brendan Tourelle was awarded the trophy for his ten points from nine race achievement, however in the Access 303 division, Katy Kenah and Robbie Love had just eight points from nine races in the six boat strong fleet. The Trophy is now on its way to Hawkes Bay for the rightful victors, Katy and Robbie.
Together, the Napier duo had an extremely successful event, winning all but one race which they finished second, and this became their one discard. Katy and Robbie also have their names on the Access/Hansa 303 Double National Championship Trophy. Eleven Access 303’s sailed at the event, six in the double category and five as single. Tauranga’s well known blind sailor Paulien Eitjes won the one persion division, the first name on this new trophy for solo sailors in the Access 303 division..
After the National Championships Katy and Robbie continued the winning streak by going on to win the inaugural Kiwi Ability regatta on January 29th, an event for sailors with intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injury and on the autism spectrum. They won all four races in a fleet of six boats, two of which travelled from Australia for the event.
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