Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush have made it back-to-back European Championship titles in the 49er, capping an extraordinary month for New Zealand sailing that stretched from Germany to California and took in world titles, Nations Cup glory, and a wave of medals across Olympic and youth fleets.
The Auckland pair, both 21, sealed their second consecutive European crown in Eckernförde, Germany, with a windless final day preventing a medal series and leaving the qualifying standings to decide the result. It was their third major championship in just over a year, following the world title they claimed in France in May. Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn were close behind in fifth, while Sean and Rowan Kensington finished 33rd in their first international campaign together, Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren 50th in the 93-boat fleet, and Nicola and Rebecca Hume 46th in the 49erFX. Micah Wilkinson and Kate Stewart posted fifth in the Nacra 17, their best result together since Wilkinson won Olympic bronze at Paris 2024 alongside Erica Dawson.
Just days before the Europeans concluded, Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley were crowned Under-19 Female World Champions at the 29er Worlds in Kiel, Germany, finishing second in the female fleet overall. They also led New Zealand to a rare Nations Cup victory after all five Kiwi crews qualified for Gold Fleet from nearly 300 boats. Three Kiwi crews finished inside the overall top 10, with Nelsen Meacham and Oli Stone fourth, Matteo Barker and Leo Brown seventh, and Blake Batten and Hugo Smith 10th. Ewan Brazle and Toby Clark finished fourth in the Under-17 division and 29th overall.
In Gdynia, Poland, 18-year-old Kosta Gladiadis claimed gold at the World Sailing Test Event, snatching victory from teammate Sean Herbert in the medal race after trailing France's multiple world and European champion Mathis Ghio through qualifying. Herbert took bronze, making it the first time two New Zealand sailors have shared a podium at this level of WingFoil Racing. Herbert had also earned the first World Cup podium of his career in Italy just days earlier, while Gladiadis had successfully defended his Formula Wing Youth World Championship silver medal only a fortnight before Gdynia.
At the Olympic Classes Regatta in Long Beach and San Pedro, the venue for sailing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, Aimee Bright took silver in the iQFOiL after finishing runner-up to Britain's Emma Wilson in a physically demanding medal race. It was her second major international silver in as many months, following her podium at the European Championships in Portugal. Veerle ten Have (ninth) and Stella Bilger (10th) also cracked the top 10, while Eli Liefting placed eighth in the men's fleet and Josh Armit narrowly missed the medal series in 15th. Tom Saunders finished 11th in the ILCA 7, just six points shy of the final series, and Greta Pilkington reached as high as third midway through the ILCA 6 before finishing 14th. Caleb Armit (27th) and George Pilkington (35th) also competed in the ILCA 7, while George Gautrey was forced to retire with a back injury after a promising opening day. In Formula Kite, Lukas Walton-Keim finished 15th, Lucy Bilger 18th, and Toby Wigglesworth 25th.
Earlier in the month, the North American Championships at Cabrillo Beach saw Tom Pilkington finish 25th in the ILCA 6, with Greta Pilkington 38th. Caleb Armit led the Kiwi men in the ILCA 7 with 21st, ahead of George Gautrey (28th) and George Pilkington (30th).
The iQFOiL North American Championships at Alamitos Bay produced more silverware. Josh Armit missed the men's title by just two points to finish second, Liefting placed fourth, and Blake Hinsley finished inside the top seven. The women's podium became an all-New Zealand contest for silver, with ten Have edging training partner Bright by a single point. Stella Bilger (11th) and Daniella Wooldridge (14th) also competed. In the youth division, Finn Davies dominated with six wins from 10 races to take the title, with Elbe White completing a Kiwi one-two.
Chloe Turner's performance at the ILCA 6 Youth European Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece stood out as one of the month's best individual results. The 17-year-old Murrays Bay Sailing Club sailor won the final race by more than a minute to claim bronze behind Greece's reigning youth world champion Hermione Ghicas and Italy's Sofia Bertoletti, finishing as the highest-placed non-European in the fleet. Turner had won the Under-17 world title in Los Angeles last year and now heads to the Youth World Championships in Denmark, beginning 11 August.
Toby Wigglesworth reached the podium at the Formula Kite Youth European Championships in Gizzeria, Italy, claiming under-19 bronze behind Switzerland's Karl Maeder and Poland's Marcel Stępniewski after nine top-six finishes from 14 races, backing up his Youth World Championship silver from last year. Sean and Rowan Kensington rounded out their first 49er Junior World Championship together in style, posting consecutive second-place finishes on the final day to climb to seventh in a fleet of more than 50 boats.
At the 470 Junior World Championships in France, Tessa Clinton and William Mason placed 19th in their first major international regatta together. At the 420 World Championships in Biscarrosse, France, Zofia Wells and Charlotte Handley finished 26th in the 49-boat women's fleet, with Amber Hughes and Phoebe Willis 36th. Ashton Cooke and Charlie Bridger wrapped up their first world championship campaign together in 119th in the mixed/men's fleet.
The month closed at the O'pen Skiff World Championships in Calasetta, Italy, where Summer Torbet, Sam Richardson and Finn Manson all qualified for Gold Fleet from a 106-boat Under-17 field. Richardson led the Kiwi contingent in 28th after four top-10 race finishes, Torbet placed 33rd overall and 10th among the girls after finishing third in qualifying, and Manson, in his first major international regatta, finished 52nd.
