Three days of competition, a weather-enforced pause, a beach clean targeting microplastic fragments, and a dolphin sighting two nautical miles out to sea. Through all of it, Lauchy Wills and Will Handley quietly built the consistent scorecard they needed to claim a national title.
The HSC/MBSC pairing took out the 2026 RS Feva National Championship at Wakatere Boating Club's Narrow Neck Beach in Devonport. Eight races produced a nett score of 16 points from a scoreline of 1-1-4-3-(9)-2-2-3, enough to secure both the national trophy and the Youth division title. Because the championship goes to the leading Youth team, Wills and Handley simply had to remain clear of their peers throughout, and they managed that with composed, unfussy sailing from beginning to end.
The closest pursuit came from Flora Stevens and Isla Brown of GBC/KYC, who finished second overall and claimed the Female division prize in the process. Third place went to Annika Wells and Milla Holland (GBC/WBC), who paired their podium finish with the Junior division title, a satisfying double for a team that evidently handles tricky, unsettled conditions well.
Unsettled was a fair description of the regatta across all three days. Saturday ran to schedule, flags flying at Wakatere and the first races getting away without difficulty. Sunday proved far less cooperative. The anticipated breeze failed to materialise, temperatures eased off, and officials raised a postponement flag to send the fleet back to shore. Rather than sit and wait, the regatta team channelled the downtime into a beach clean aimed at the fine microplastic particles caught in the high-tide line. The occasion also produced an unscheduled bonus: a pair of dolphins appeared roughly two nautical miles offshore. The wind eventually filled in, racing resumed, and the fleet headed into Monday with five completed races behind them.
Monday delivered the kind of day that tests a crew's adaptability. The Race Officer's note described conditions plainly: "Breeze up, breeze down, tide on the move." Wills and Handley threaded through it all without a significant stumble, and when the final gun fired the championship was settled in their favour.
Across the fleet, division honours were spread among a capable group of competitors. Polly Powrie and Katie Burgess of WBC won the Open division, Ally Burfoot and Micah Bollen from TYPBC took the Mixed, and Stevens and Brown rounded out the divisional prizes by securing the Female title. Twenty-six entries representing clubs from around the country ensured the racing carried genuine depth throughout, precisely the kind of competitive field the class has been working to establish.
