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It's already the biggest all-female youth regatta in Australasia and one of the most innovative on the sailing calendar, and this year's Predictwind Girls Champs will feature another first - thanks to three of New Zealand's top sailors.
Liv Mackay, Gemma Jones and Veerle ten Have will be participating in a question-and-answer session with the approximately 120 girls expected to sail at Kohimarama Yacht Club this weekend and will offer a rare glimpse into how they are helping to shape the future of sailing in the country.
Mackay, Jones and ten Have have recently been included in the Emirates Team New Zealand squads for the Women's and Youth America's Cups later this year.
Mackay and Jones, who will both sail in the first-ever women's event in Barcelona in October, are already considered trailblazers in the sport. Mackay is a former under-23 world champion, has been a member of the New Zealand SailGP team since 2019 and is the current skipper of the Live Ocean Racing Team in the ETF26 Grand Prix; while Jones represented New Zealand at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and last year sailed in several legs of the Ocean Race.
Windfoiler ten Have was this week named in the New Zealand team for the Paris Olympics in July and August and will compete in the Youth America's Cup event shortly after the Games.
Around 120 sailors are expected at this year's PredictWind Girls Regatta. Photos / Live Sail Die
Bronwynne Howse, Kohimarama Yacht Club girl’s coordinator, said this year's Predictwind Girls Champs will look to build on last year's successful event - the biggest in the regatta's history of over 30 years.
"We're expecting a similar number of girls out sailing than last year, with 10 fleets across seven different classes on show on Saturday and Sunday, including a strong 29er lineup featuring Madi Russell and Kate Rasmussen, Bella Jenkins and Nicola Hume, and Kate Howse and Elbe White," she said.
The Q&A session, organised with the help of Yachting New Zealand and Emirates Team New Zealand, is set to be a highlight.
Gemma Jones, Live Mackay and Veerle ten Have. Photos / Emirates Team New Zealand
It will be hosted by Olympian Anna Wilcox approximately one hour after the last boat is back on shore on Saturday.
"We're thrilled to have Liv, Gemma and Veerle join us to chat about their involvement in and preparation for the America's Cup. To have these sailors available to interact with our girls, only months before they make history by sailing in the first-ever Women's America's Cup is incredibly special," Howse said.
"The session will provide plenty of interesting and entertaining insight into how females are shaping the future of our sport, as well as the challenges they came across in their careers and advice on how to overcome them."
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