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The second year of Yachting New Zealand’s Starling Girls Accelerator programme is in full swing, with 14 of the country's young female sailors wrapping up two intensive weeks of training, racing, and inspiration alongside some of New Zealand's top sailing talent.
Launched in July, the 2025/26 programme is part of Yachting New Zealand's wider women and girls in sailing strategy and aims to build confident, connected sailors ready to progress through the national performance pathway. Open to under-18 Starling class sailors, it blends on-water coaching, regatta support, and mentoring with education in nutrition, fitness, and racing psychology.
Over the past fortnight, the group - which includes three sailors from the South Island - have been immersed in back-to-back learning opportunities, starting with a clinic before the STACK Winter Championships at Murrays Bay Sailing Club on 25 and 26 September. The pre-regatta session focused on identifying strengths and development areas before the sailors teamed up with programme lead coach Naiomi Ferrissey (pictured above) during racing to refine their priorities.
Fourteen sailors have spent the past two weeks in Auckland as part of Yachting New Zealand's Starling Girls Accelerator programme. Photos / Supplied
The momentum continued with a three-day live-in camp from 29 September to 1 October, highlighted by visits from several Paris 2024 Olympians. Sailors Molly Meech, Erica Dawson, and Veerle ten Have shared their experiences from the Games, offered advice on high-performance sailing, and spent time mentoring the girls.
Joining Yachting New Zealand coach and Olympic gold medallist Jenny Armstrong on the coaching team was Greta Pilkington, fresh from her Olympic debut, who worked alongside the group during on-water sessions.
Specialists from High Performance Sport New Zealand also played a key role, with performance nutritionist Kelsey Paterson hosting an interactive session featuring ten Have and Pilkington, and strength and conditioning coach Neil Yeates leading a hands-on fitness workshop.
Armstrong said she was thrilled with the progress shown across the group.
"The group is very exciting and eager to learn - lots of notes were taken and the improvement over the week was immense," she said. "I'm really excited to see how far this group goes in the next season and the years ahead."
The programme included a fitness session with High Performance Sport New Zealand strength and conditioning expert Neil Yeates. Photos / Supplied
Yachting New Zealand high-performance director Ian Stewart praised the collaboration between national coaches, Olympians, and support staff, describing it as an excellent opportunity to connect and inspire.
"Not many countries have their top Olympic sailors coaching at clinics like these - it's an excellent opportunity for our young sailors," he said. "It's also a key part of helping attract and retain girls in the sport and to counter the drop-off that can happen after the junior classes."
Running through to May 2026, the Starling Girls Accelerator programme will continue to combine on-water clinics, regatta coaching, and mentoring from members of the NZL Sailing Team.
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