The 2025 Sir Peter Blake Regatta got underway at Torbay Sailing Club on the Hauraki Gulf in the way only this event can, alive with colour, noise, and the particular anticipation of young sailors measuring themselves against a big fleet for the first time. Now recognised as the largest youth sailing regatta in the Southern Hemisphere, it draws competitors from the length of the country, and this year more than 300 of them filled the boat park. Many had come off the back of winter training blocks and seasons of club competition, ready to find out where they truly stood.
The regatta's connection to its namesake was made vivid on Day Two, when Lion New Zealand, Sir Peter Blake's Whitbread maxi, sailed into the bay. Her long white-silver hull drew sailors and families to the water's edge, and during a lull in racing a group of swimmers drifted around her. It was an unscripted moment that captured exactly what the event is about: a new generation gathering around the boats that shaped New Zealand's bluewater identity.
That generational shift was written into every fleet result across the weekend.
*Optimist Green, 51 entries*
Optimist Green is where the emotional weight of junior sailing concentrates, where raw potential surfaces for the first time alongside big gains, hard lessons, breakthroughs, and the occasional tear. In 2025 it was also where the regatta's most dominant individual performance unfolded. Astrid Thirkettle won the fleet convincingly, taking three race wins from five starts to finish on eight points. Oliver Sun pushed her throughout with a string of top-three finishes and a tactical awareness that suggests he will move quickly into higher fleets. Tommy Liu rounded out the podium with a steady, reliable scoreline.
- 1st, Astrid Thirkettle 5-1-1-1 8pts - 2nd, Oliver Sun 2-3-2-2 9pts - 3rd, Tommy Liu 3-2-2-1 10pts
One point separated first from third, which tells its own story about the quality of racing across the fleet. Brianna Field was responsible for the standout early performances, winning both Race 1 and Race 2 and giving notice of the depth coming through at Murrays Bay.
*Optimist White, 35 entries*
Optimist White sits at the junction between early development and genuinely competitive fleet racing, and the 2025 edition made that transition visible. Carter Smith established himself as the clear class leader, his three race wins combined with composure under pressure marking him as a sailor ready to step into Open Fleet. Behind him, the battle for the remaining podium positions was among the tightest of any class at the regatta. Corinne Woolsey was the strongest performer in light air and finished second overall. Lucas Kattera and Ellie McDowell pushed each other throughout, and fifth-place finisher Elizabeth Brunton was separated from third by only a single point.
- 1st, Carter Smith 1-6-1-1-(10) 9pts - 2nd, Corinne Woolsey (24)-4-4-6-6 20pts - 3rd, Lucas Kattera 11-(20)-7-2-2 22pts - 4th, Ellie McDowell 5-7-(14)-3-7 22pts - 5th, Elizabeth Brunton 2-(10)-3-9-9 23pts
Among those further down the fleet, John Paterson's journey stands out as a genuine development milestone: placed 68th in Optimist Green in 2023, he arrived in 2025 with a top-ten finish in White Fleet to his name.
*Optimist Open, 56 entries*
The Optimist Open fleet provided the most concentrated one-design pressure of the junior programme. Marcus Daum was the standout, his 3-2-2 series delivering a near-perfect championship. His composure during the congested moments of Race 3, when others made costly errors under fleet pressure, was what ultimately separated him from the field. Tom Hall won the opening race and applied early heat to the front of the fleet, but the weight of traffic through the middle races held him back, and he finished second overall. Zephyr Lane was perhaps the most striking performer across the series. A Race 3 victory, combined with his ability to recover from an eighth and a sixth in the opening two races, marks him as a sailor clearly on the rise.
- 1st, Marcus Daum 3-2-2 7pts - 2nd, Tom Hall 1-5-5 11pts - 3rd, Zephyr Lane 8-6-1 15pts
The fleet also carried strong women's representation, with Aurora Edhouse and Claire Bao both placing inside the top ten. Optimist Open is where future champions begin to build their craft, and this year it delivered the drama, the tactical shifts, and the clear signals of who is ready to move on to Starling and ILCA competition.
*O'pen Skiff Silver, 11 entries*
O'pen Skiff Silver produced the cleanest scoreline of any fleet at the regatta. Tj Norman swept every race to finish on three points, a perfect result that sets a national benchmark at this development level. Behind him the racing was far closer. Oak Richards and Nash Nicholson tracked each other through the series, with Stanley Briggs eventually separating the pair in the final standings.
- 1st, Tj Norman 1-1-1 3pts - 2nd, Oak Richards 2-2-4 8pts - 3rd, Nash Nicholson 3-3-2 8pts
An additional thread within the fleet came from the Hobsonville YC trio of Dempsey, Brown, and Burlace, who regularly finished within a place or two of each other in what became a compelling intra-club contest. Many names in this fleet came through the 2023-2024 Optimist Green fleets, and the improvement trends are clear. O'pen Skiff Silver remains one of the most reliable gateways into higher-performance classes.
*O'pen Skiff Gold, 16 entries*
O'pen Skiff Gold produced a lively and unpredictable series driven by lead changes and club rivalries. On paper Max Jameson's 3-2-1 scoreline reads as a steady progression to the title, peaking at exactly the right moment, but the racing beneath those numbers was anything but straightforward. Joseph Reynolds set an early tempo with a Race 1 win that forced the fleet to lift its game from the outset. The race of the day, however, belonged to Mei Whitehead, whose second-place finish in Race 3 secured her third overall and stands as one of the strongest women's performances across any Skiff fleet at the regatta.
- 1st, Max Jameson 3-2-1 6pts - 2nd, Joseph Reynolds 1-1-6 8pts - 3rd, Mei Whitehead 5-5-2 12pts
The presence of both genders at the front of the fleet, alongside race-to-race volatility, made Skiff Gold one of the most spirited classes of 2025. Many of these sailors carry visible progression from O'pen Skiff Silver and Optimist, and this fleet remains a key stepping stone in the development pathway.
*P-Class, 26 entries*
Few classes in New Zealand sailing carry as much history and emotional weight as the P-Class, and the 2025 fleet lived up to that reputation. Will Fyfe took the title with a methodical series, his Race 1 win establishing early authority and his overall points tally finishing just one ahead of second place. That margin alone captures how competitive the top of the fleet was. Zofia Wells, a dual 2025 Barfoot & Thompson Excellence Awards recipient and one of the country's most active young sailors, applied constant pressure from start to finish. Her transition from 18th in Optimist Open in 2023 to P-Class podium contender in 2025 is one of the most compelling progression arcs in the entire championship.
Hamish Brown brought the biggest race moments, claiming the only Race 3 win outside the top two. His ability to move through the fleet echoes his 2023 national title and his 2024 podium finish, and at just two points off the lead, his 2025 result sets up a compelling battle for 2026.
- 1st, Will Fyfe 1-5-3 9pts - 2nd, Zofia Wells 2-4-4 10pts - 3rd, Hamish Brown 7-3-1 11pts
Further down the fleet, names like Wills, Snape, and Kensington are building P-Class careers through consistent mid-fleet improvement. The top ten featured nine men and one woman, yet it was Wells in second who shaped the entire contest, and that fact defines the class story in 2025 as much as any scoreline.
*RS Feva Class, 9 entries*
The RS Feva fleet delivered confident, structured racing driven largely by all-women crews. Holly and Stella Robson controlled the series from mid-event, their Race 2 win proving the turning point that shifted momentum firmly in their direction. Holly's progression from the Optimist Open fleet in 2023 gives the result an added dimension as a generational milestone in her sailing career.
What had initially looked like a three-way contest between the Robsons, the pairing of Morgan Batt and Lydia Burgess, and Mia Meikle with Imogen Clarke was complicated by the arrival of the New Caledonian entry. Timothe Teitelbaum and Camille Kurtovitch stormed to a Race 3 win, injecting real pressure into the top of the leaderboard at the most critical moment and finishing just one point behind the overall winners.
- 1st: Holly and Stella Robson 4-1-2 7pts - 2nd: Timothe Teitelbaum and Camille Kurtovitch 5-2-1 8pts - 3rd: Morgan Batt and Lydia Burgess 2-3-3 8pts
Kyla Murphy's storyline added further depth: a proven O'pen Skiff Silver sailor from 2023, she stepped confidently into double-handed racing in 2025. The Feva fleet continues to be the most gender-balanced of the championship, and this year it was the women's crews who set the pace, controlled the scoreboard, and demonstrated that teamwork is the defining quality of the class.
*Starling Development Class, 17 entries*
Starling Development is where sailors shed their junior habits, begin managing traffic on a different scale, and reveal whether they are ready for the deeper tactical demands of the full Starling fleet. Jessica Spalek answered that question emphatically, her (4)-3-3-2-1 scorecard showing the kind of consistent high-end speed that marks a genuine front-runner. Her Race 5 win sealed the championship and announced her as one of the most exciting young sailors in the Auckland region.
Harry Atkinson, who stepped straight from Optimist Open in 2023, showed immediate competitiveness and tied Spalek on nett points, his ability to pressure the leader through the first half of the series being a particular highlight. Eason Lan added another dimension with a fleet-best 1-1 run through the middle of the series, a reminder of how dangerous he becomes in clean air.
- 1st, Jessica Spalek (4)-3-3-2-1 9pts - 2nd, Harry Atkinson 2-2-2-3-(5) 9pts - 3rd, Eason Lan 5-(6)-1-1-3 10pts - 4th, Maks Gvardijancic 1-(8)-4-4-2 11pts
Elsewhere in the fleet, Georgia Barker has moved from mid-fleet Optimist finishes to inside the top ten, while Adam Palmer arrives from a 2024 Optimist Green podium showing particular promise in heavier conditions.
*Starling, 48 entries*
With only two races completed, the Starling fleet was a study in high-pressure decision-making where every error carried an elevated cost. Callum Hyde absorbed a fourth-place opener and came back to win Race 2, and that single win proved sufficient to take the title in a fiercely compressed leaderboard. Directly behind him, Finloe Gaites and Charlotte Handley finished level on points, separated only by countback. Handley's second place in Race 1 drove her third-place result overall and represents the standout women's performance in the Starling top ten.
- 1st, Callum Hyde 4-1 5pts - 2nd, Finloe Gaites 1-8 9pts - 3rd, Charlotte Handley 2-7 9pts
Flora Stevens finished third in Race 1, while Race 2 saw Oak Galbraith take second, Bailey Robb third, and Gemma Herberd, Philippa Wiltshire, and Taran Bates rounding out the top six. Wiltshire and Bates finished the series level on 16 points, adding further mid-fleet drama. Four women placed inside the top ten overall, making the Starling one of the most gender-balanced fleets at this level of the competition.
*420 Class, 4 entries*
The 420 fleet was small but the racing was clear-cut, defined by the most dominant performance in any double-handed class. Amber Hughes and Phoebe Willis won three consecutive races after discarding their first, a run that left no doubt about who was in control. Behind them, Ben Keoghan and Luke Shaw built their regatta on steady second-place finishes, while Ashton Cooke and Charlie Bridger claimed third overall. Bridger's return to the front end of a fleet, following his Optimist Open win in 2023, is one of the stronger long-form progression stories in the championship.
- 1st, Amber Hughes and Phoebe Willis (1)-1-1-1-4 3pts - 2nd, Ben Keoghan and Luke Shaw 2-2-(3)-3 7pts - 3rd, Ashton Cooke and Charlie Bridger (4)-3-4-2 9pts
The pairing of Wise and Kenyon kept the podium battle honest with their Race 2 win, a reminder that the order was never completely settled. The 420 class is widely regarded as a gateway into elite youth and Olympic pathways, and 2025 offered a clear first look at the next group of contenders.
*ILCA 4, 3 entries*
Though the smallest fleet at the regatta, ILCA 4 carried considerable meaning. Patrick Kell won every race on the water and discarded a first, a clean sweep that illustrates how completely he has mastered this stage of the pathway. His journey from O'pen Skiff Silver champion in 2023 to ILCA 4 national front-runner in 2025 is among the most linear and impressive development arcs in the entire event. Behind him, Arlo Nicholson and Logan Adams matched each other across all four races in a tight tactical battle, their consistent podium finishes pointing to a group well-prepared for the step up to ILCA 6.
- 1st, Patrick Kell (1)-1-1-1 3pts - 2nd, Arlo Nicholson (2)-2-2-2 6pts - 3rd, Logan Adams (3)-3-3-3 9pts
ILCA 4 marks the first step onto the Olympic pathway, where sailors begin learning asymmetric balance, pressure management, and fleet discipline. In 2025, all three demonstrated they are ready to move quickly through the ranks.
*ILCA 6, 21 entries*
ILCA 6 brought high-intensity tactical racing to one of the more demanding single-handed classes at the regatta. Tom Pilkington defended his 2024 title with the composure of a sailor who knows how to manage shifting conditions, finishing on three nett points. Sam Clarke kept the pressure on throughout, his Race 2 second place briefly bringing him within reach of the lead. From third to seventh the leaderboard was repeatedly reshuffled by UFD penalties and tight finishes, providing the drama that made this class particularly compelling.
Arran Begic's recovery from a 22-point penalty gave his series a significant storyline of its own, while Toby Dunn produced what was arguably the most consistent mid-fleet performance of the entire event.
- 1st, Tom Pilkington (1)-1-1-1 3pts - 2nd, Sam Clarke 3-2-(4)-2 7pts - 3rd, Arran Begic 2-(22 UFD)-2-3 7pts - 4th, Toby Dunn (6)-3-3-5 11pts
*29er Class, 12 entries*
If any single fleet told the fullest story of the regatta, it was the 29er. Nelsen Meacham and Louis Quere set the standard early with the clean execution expected from sailors already operating near the front of the national pathway, and their 3-1-1 scoreline gave them a comfortable margin at the top. Behind them, Matteo Barker and Leo Brown arrived carrying heavy expectations from their 2023-2024 form. Barker's 2025 Barfoot & Thompson Excellence Youth Performance Award added weight to his credentials, and his opening-race win made the title fight genuine before Meacham and Quere ultimately asserted themselves. The women's pairing of Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley quietly compiled one of the most consistent scorecards in the fleet, a timely reminder of the strength the women's 29er programme has developed.
- 1st: Nelsen Meacham and Louis Quere 3-1-1 5pts - 2nd: Matteo Barker and Leo Brown 1-2-4 7pts - 3rd: Bella Jenkins and Jess Handley 2-3-3 8pts
The emotional highlight of the class belonged to Ewan Brazle and Toby Clark. Making the jump from O'pen Skiff Gold champion in 2023 to the high-speed demands of the 29er in 2025 is a significant leap, and they produced a breakout regatta, recovering from an OCS to finish fifth. They will be a force to reckon with in 2026. The 29er fleet blends clean boat handling, tactical maturity, and transition-pathway tension, and this year it carried the deepest narrative of any class at the regatta.
*Waszp, 4 entries*
The Waszp fleet presented the clearest picture of what the transition from youth sailing into high-performance foiling looks like. Ash Cole was in a class of his own, discarding a first and winning every counted race to finish on four points, the only fleet at the regatta where a single sailor demonstrated such complete technical control. Flinn Olson kept the scores honest with a 2-2-2-2 scoreline, but consistent as that was, breaking Cole's grip on the front proved beyond him. The real interest in the mid-fleet came from Oliver Tiedemann, who continued a progression that had already taken him to a podium finish in the O'pen Skiff in 2024 and who now looks firmly settled in the foiling environment.
- 1st, Ash Cole (1)-1-1-1-1 4pts - 2nd, Flinn Olson 2-2-(3)-2-2 8pts - 3rd, Oliver Tiedemann (4)-3-2-3-3 11pts
Nathan Soper, who brings deep Optimist and P-Class experience, rounded out a compelling midfield battle. Waszp racing demands constant technical refinement under competitive pressure, and the 2025 series showed clearly who is prepared to take the next step.
*iQFOiL Class, 10 entries*
Fast, aggressive, and unforgiving, the iQFOiL class produced high-stakes racing shaped by four sailors competing fiercely for podium positions across the full series. Vlad Misescu took the overall win with near-perfect execution, his four race victories confirming the progression that had already earned him second place in 2023. Ben Rist and Josh Tuck created one of the tightest tactical contests in any high-performance fleet, with Rist's Race 2 win briefly interrupting Misescu's control of the series and Tuck's final-race second bringing him close to claiming silver before the scores were finalised.
- 1st, Vlad Misescu 1-(2)-1-1-1 4pts - 2nd, Ben Rist 2-1-2-2-(3) 7pts - 3rd, Josh Tuck 3-3-(5)-3-2 11pts
Sol Douwes provided the standout individual progression story, stepping up from his O'pen Skiff Gold title in 2024 to finish fourth in a demanding foiling discipline. The women's division also made its mark, with Daniella Wooldridge and Gabrielle Dalton Wilson both placing inside the top ten. The iQFOiL class in 2025 became a story of transitions, from junior classes into foiling, and a clear preview of the sailors who may shape New Zealand's future in windfoiling.
*Overall winners of the Sir Peter Blake Regatta Trophy*
Nelsen Meacham and Louis Quere capped their outstanding 29er campaign by being named joint winners of the Sir Peter Blake Regatta Trophy, an honour that goes beyond race results to recognise attitude, leadership, and the manner in which sailors conduct themselves across the event. Their 3-1-1 scoreline had already identified them as the most composed high-performance pairing of the weekend. What ultimately earned them the trophy, however, was the consistency of their decision-making, the calm authority with which they handled pressure, and the influence they carried on the wider fleet around them. In a regatta built on Sir Peter Blake's legacy of determination and character, Meacham and Quere became the pairing that best embodied the spirit of the event.
The 2025 Sir Peter Blake Regatta ended the way it began, with young sailors driving hard to the final horn, families spread along the shoreline, and coaches calling trim adjustments from their RIBs as the last boats came up the ramp. This event has always been about more than the scoreboard. Resilience forms here. Confidence is earned one shift at a time. The pathway from Green Fleet to foiler, from Optimist to ILCA to offshore ambitions still a decade away, begins to feel real on this water. The sailors who competed will carry those lessons forward.
Congratulations to every winner, and equally to every competitor who made it to the start line. Sir Peter believed that challenge builds character. In 2025, that belief was visible in every fleet, in every race, and in every sailor who pushed their bow across the finish.
