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When Zofia Wells and Charlotte Handley first jumped into a borrowed RS Feva last winter, they were just looking to have a bit of fun.
Less than a year later, the Kiwi pair were crowned world champions in some style - taking out the female title at the class world championships in Aix-les-Bains, France, and very nearly claiming an even bigger crown...
Wells and Handley finished second overall in the 168-boat fleet, most of them sailed by all-male teams, having led the regatta for much of the week courtesy of four wins in four races on a flawless second day.
Racing on the final day was cancelled, leaving the young team only two points shy of overall winners David and Valentin Vogl of Austria.
"It feels really good to be a world champion," said Handley, 14, who sails out of Murrays Bay Sailing Club. "It's probably the best result we've had and definitely the biggest fleet we've ever raced in."
Wells, 13, of Glendowie Boating Club, added: "It's hard to compare different events, but this was one of the best sailing performances we've done. We didn't really talk about results - just about how to sail at our best."
Zofia Wells and Charlotte Handley have been sailing together for just under a year. Photos / Oli King Photography
The regatta was anything but easy, with long days on the water, extreme shifts, abandoned races, and every kind of breeze from drifting conditions to 40-knot gusts.
"The training days were pretty wild," Handley said. "At one point 40 knots came down the lake and wiped everyone out!"
In between races (or waiting for them), the pair and their growing crew of international sailing mates could often be found cooling off with swims and wharf jumps. "We made loads of friends and off the water was so much fun," Handley said.
Fun, in fact, might just be their secret weapon. "On the boat, Charlotte keeps us focused and I keep us entertained," said Wells.
Their friendship and chemistry were forged during international Optimist campaigns, including the 2024 European championships in Italy, where Wells finished an impressive seventh overall in the girls' division and Handley placed 19th in the silver fleet.
Their bond was strengthened by years of competing in single-handers, often against each other. Any rivalry, though, has long since given way to teamwork. "We're more teammates than rivals," Handley said. "We both respect each other's single-handed sailing and work well together in the boat."
Wells agrees.
"We often work together before starts in single-handed races, and we like to see each other do well," she said.
The decision to try their hand at double-handed sailing came almost on a whim.
"We had nothing else to do during the Feva Winter Champs (at Maraetai Sailing Club in August last year), so we borrowed a boat," Wells recalled. They finished a respectable sixth at the regatta and "had loads of fun and that's kind of where it started".
Since then, it's been a blur of training sessions (most weekends and all school holidays) with support from a host of Kiwi coaches and mentors. Both credit their parents as key supporters and list sailing heroes like Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, Barbara Kendall, Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie among their role models.
The pair finished first female team and second overall in the 168-boat fleet. Photos / Oli King
Their results in France surprised even them, Handley admits.
"We had no idea how good we would be compared to the other teams. We really wanted to use this regatta to improve our communication and sailing together and our goal was maybe a top 10 or 15 overall and to finish in the top five or so girls."
It’s a far cry from that mid-fleet finish in a borrowed Feva at Maraetai, but one thing hasn't changed - a focus on enjoyment.
"We trained really hard before the worlds, and also did a bit of work together in the 420 which helped," Wells said. "During the regatta itself we just focused on sailing the best we could and always having fun!”
Next up, the pair plan to return to the 420 class while continuing to race single-handers on the side. Ultimately, they hope to earn selection for the youth world championships and, eventually, the Olympic Games – and, as Handley puts it, to "keep sailing forever".
Full results here.
