New Zealand sailing's most celebrated evening of the year arrives tomorrow, with the 2025 Barfoot & Thompson Yachting Excellence Awards set to unfold at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The gathering draws people from every discipline and corner of the sport: Olympians, offshore campaigners, youth sailors, coaches, club administrators, and the dedicated volunteers whose behind-the-scenes contributions hold their communities together.
No award generates quite the same anticipation as the Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy. Previous recipients include Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie, Sir Peter Blake, Barbara Kendall, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, Sir Russell Coutts, Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, Bruce Farr, and Emirates Team New Zealand. That list reflects the extraordinary depth of talent New Zealand consistently produces, and tomorrow another name will be added to it.
For all the prestige attached to the headline categories, a great deal of the evening's significance lies elsewhere. Race officials, regional organisers, emerging coaches, and young sailors stepping onto the world stage for the first time all feature prominently in the programme. These are the people whose efforts often go unnoticed beyond their own clubs or districts, and the awards exist in no small part to change that.
This year's full programme spans a broad range of categories:
- Orbit World Travel Sailor of the Year (Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy) - Barfoot & Thompson Male Sailor of the Year - Barfoot & Thompson Female Sailor of the Year - NZL Sailing Foundation Young Male Sailor of the Year - NZL Sailing Foundation Young Female Sailor of the Year - B&G Performance Coach of the Year - Yachting New Zealand Emerging Coach of the Year - Millennium Hotels Official of the Year - PredictWind Emerging Talent Award - Lawson's Dry Hills Peter Lester Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sailing - MAST Academy Young Leadership Award - North Sails Sportsmanship Award - Evocean Sustainability Award - Yamaha Motor NZ Service Awards - Radix Nutrition Performance Awards - Appliances Online Youth Performance Awards - Kiwi Yachting & Baltic Lifejackets Cruising Awards
Taken together, these categories stretch from international podiums all the way through to the everyday work that shapes club culture and keeps people connected to the water.
The timing gives this year's event a particular weight. Kiwi sailors have produced strong results across Olympic classes, foiling competitions, youth regattas, and major offshore races throughout the past season. Tomorrow night draws those achievements into one place and puts names and faces to the efforts behind them, whether that means competing at the sharp end of the sport or patiently introducing beginners to their first trailer-sailer.
The nominations also offer a window into where the sport is heading. Rising talent, evolving coaching programmes, community initiatives, and long-standing contributors whose dedication spans decades all have a presence in this year's field, making the evening as much a look forward as a celebration of what has already been accomplished.
Go Boating NZ will be present at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron tomorrow evening to report on the presentations and speak with sailors, coaches, and club figures as the trophies are awarded. Full coverage of the 2025 Yachting New Zealand Excellence Awards will follow, bringing the key announcements and the stories behind them.
