Emirates Team New Zealand claimed the top honour at the 2025 Barfoot & Thompson Yachting Excellence Awards, with the evening also marking the introduction of a new accolade named in memory of one of the sport's most beloved figures.
The America's Cup-winning squad took home the Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy as Orbit World Travel Sailor of the Year, following their third consecutive victory at the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup in Barcelona last year. Their win over INEOS Britannia was without precedent in the competition's long history and has firmly placed the team among the greatest ever to contest the event.
Ray Davies accepted the trophy on the team's behalf. Preparations for a defence of the Auld Mug in Naples in 2027 are already under way.
The evening also saw the launch of the inaugural Peter Lester Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sailing, created to honour the late sailor, coach, and commentator who passed away in August. Lester held a wide range of roles across his career, spanning coaching, performance management, and broadcasting, and was Yachting New Zealand's first high-performance director.
The first recipient was Mark Mulcare, a former blind world champion whose service to keelboat and club racing stretches back more than two decades. Mulcare lost his sight in his teens and has faced significant health challenges in recent years, yet continues to manage New Zealand's nationwide keelboat handicapping system, developed the Race Track database, and supports clubs across the country through his work on Yachting New Zealand's Cruising, Inshore and Offshore Racing Committee and the PHRF committee.
Yachting New Zealand Chief Executive Steve Armitage spoke to what the award represents and what Lester meant to the sport. "Peter's contribution was never just technical or tactical - it was also deeply human. He inspired generations with his honesty, his storytelling, and his unwavering commitment to excellence," Armitage said. "This award honours individuals, clubs, and organisations who have made a significant and lasting impact on sailing in New Zealand - an ethos Peter embodied throughout his life. Our hope is that this tribute not only recognises his extraordinary legacy but continues to inspire those who follow in his wake."
Megan Thomson and her 2.0 Racing Team earned the Barfoot & Thompson Female Sailor of the Year award after finishing runners-up at the 2025 Women's Match Racing World Championship in Chicago. Thomson, alongside Tiana Wittey, Josi Andres, Charlotte Porter, and Hattie Rogers, pushed five-time world champion Pauline Courtois all the way to a deciding race in the final, matching their 2024 silver-medal result.
The Barfoot & Thompson Male Sailor of the Year award went to 23-year-old Auckland wingfoiler Sean Herbert, who put together a strong string of results across the season. Herbert won bronze at the Formula Wing World Championship in Sardinia, added another bronze on his World Cup debut in Switzerland, claimed the US Wingfoil Championships, defended his national title, and secured both the national Triple Crown and the Hawaii State titles.
Olympian Paul Snow-Hansen was named B&G Performance Coach of the Year, while Sophia Morgan collected the Yachting New Zealand Emerging Coach of the Year award. The PredictWind Emerging Talent awards went to Blake Batten and RS Feva sailors Zofia Wells and Charlotte Handley.
iQFOiLer Stella Bilger took out the NZL Sailing Foundation Young Female Sailor of the Year award after claiming gold at the iQFOiL under-23 World Championships in Portugal earlier this year, leading a Kiwi one-two finish with teammate Aimee Bright.
Mattias Coutts, aged 19, was named NZL Sailing Foundation Young Male Sailor of the Year, having won the 2024 PredictWind Moth World Championships, the 2025 Moth Nationals, and the 2024 STACK Winter Champs. He has since launched a 49er campaign alongside Oscar Gunn while continuing to post strong Moth results, including top finishes at Foiling Week and the 2025 Moth Worlds.
Kohimarama Yacht Club received the Evocean Sustainability Award for the Marama Project, which involved the country's first full restoration and electrification of a 23-foot committee boat. Volunteers, youth sailors, and local marine specialists worked together to replace the vessel's diesel engine with a solar-powered electric system, enabling silent, off-grid operation.
Lucas Hebberd was presented with the MAST Academy Young Leadership Award for his work strengthening the Learn to Sail programme at Murrays Bay Sailing Club, expanding training opportunities and organising family-focused events.
Sailability Wellington won the North Sails Sportsmanship Award for its role in developing the ParAble yacht, a larger and more adaptable vessel designed for disabled sailors that has since been recognised as a national class.
Ryan Parkin was named Millennium Hotels and Resorts NZ Official of the Year, having earned selection for the Youth and Women's America's Cup through a 12-month development pathway.
