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New Zealand sailors Aaron Hume-Merry and Anna Merchant have capped off a thrilling campaign at the 2025 Offshore Double Handed World Championships in Cowes with a fifth-place finish in the 114-nautical-mile final - a result made even more impressive after their dramatic last-chance victory in the repechage.
Representing Yachting New Zealand as NZL 1, the pair were among 22 mixed crews from 16 nations racing the new Sun Fast 30 One Design yachts. After finishing seventh in their 140nm qualifier - just two places short of the automatic top-five cut - they were forced into the repechage. In a high-pressure, winner-takes-all race, they held their nerve over 89 miles of relentless action to secure the final golden ticket to the decider.
Once in the final, Hume-Merry and Merchant showed they belonged among the world’s best. Starting in light airs off North Head outside Hurst Narrows, they positioned themselves well, rounding the first mark in third behind Norway and France. They stayed with the leading pack through the early stages, managing the shifting breeze and strong Solent tides with precision.
As the wind faded overnight, the race became a tactical chess match. Many crews kedged against the tide to hold position, and the Kiwis handled the conditions well, staying in the hunt through most of the 114nm course. When the race committee shortened the course at West Princessa, they crossed the line in fifth - behind France, Great Britain, Uruguay, and Norway.
The French duo Théa Khelif and Thomas André took gold, followed by Britain’s Zeb Fellows and Willow Bland, with Uruguay’s Domi Knuppel and Fede Waksman claiming bronze.
Merchant and Hume-Merry secured their spot in the final by winning the repechage race. Photos / RORC
Hume-Merry and Merchant's place in the final came through one of the most dramatic races of the regatta. The repechage saw them locked in a fierce battle with Australia’s James Whelan and Stacey Jackson, Italy’s Arianna Liconti and Francesco Farci, and France’s Charles Henon and Clara Bayol. With only one berth available, every manoeuvre mattered.
They made a strong start under Code Zero, but a blown jib tack at the first mark and later furling issues tested their composure. “We had to think differently,” Hume-Merry said. “We held high on the jib while everyone else rolled underneath, then got the A2 up first and managed to get back in front.”
The final stages were a tense duel, with the Australians pushing hard to the line. The Kiwis held them off, finishing just two minutes and 33 seconds ahead. A protest from AUS 1 was later dismissed, confirming New Zealand’s victory and passage into the final.
For the pair, the result marks clear progress from the 2024 world championships in Lorient, where they finished ninth in their qualifying group and missed out on the final.
New Zealand’s second crew, Oakley Marsh and Megan Thomson, also showed promise but narrowly missed advancing after finishing sixth in their qualifier - just outside the repechage cut. An untimely injury prevented them from continuing their campaign, ending their debut prematurely.
Final results here.
