Honours for the Westlake Girls Sailing Team continue to flow into the fourth quarter of the year after being awarded the New Zealand Youth Performance Award by Yachting New Zealand. The acknowledgement features the team’s inaugural success at the 2023 Inter Dominion Trans-Tasman Test Series where they won the Girls Championship to become the Top Girls Sailing School in Australasia.
Two weeks ago, the Premier team repeated that feat in Auckland at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club when they again won the Girls Championship Trophy. They then went on to assist the top six New Zealand Girls and Boys teams to defeat Australia and win the overall Inter Dominion Sailing Trophy.
The regatta began ominously for Westlake Girls, with Tasmania’s St Michael’s Collegiate and Brisbane’s Moreton Bay handing the team two losses. However, a decisive win against Whangarei Girls allowed them to top the leaderboard after Day One.
Demanding conditions on Day Two meant the wind was soft, inconsistent, and unpredictable, causing the course to be adjusted many times. St Michael’s outperformed the rest of the fleet to finish this day at the top of the board and Westlake Girls tucked into second place.
Strong winds arrived on the third and final day of the series, which suited the Swans, whose team thrived in these conditions, showcasing an outstanding performance with a perfect record of five wins in five races.
The team demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination, overcoming a one-point deficit to St Michael’s. With several gear malfunctions during the morning that delayed the races, the Race Committee ultimately decided that the wind was too fierce to continue racing after just one Round Robin and awarded Westlake Girls the victory by a single point. They won 15 out of 20 races to win the Girls Trophy for 2024.
Outstanding performances from the other Kiwi schools (Nelson Girls, Whangarei Girls representing the NZ girls and Auckland Boys Grammar, St Kents and Rangitoto for the boys) handed New Zealand the Inter Dominion Trans-Tasman Trophy over Australia. Auckland Grammer won the Boys Top Team Trophy.
This has capped off another exceptionally successful year for the Westlake Girls Sailing Team, with victories in every regatta they have participated in this season. The team will be honoured at the NZ Yachting Excellence Awards on 22 November at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on 22 November when they are presented the Youth Performance Award of the Year.
Congratulations to Sailing Coach Robbie Wooldridge and Manager Paula Satterthwaite for creating a successful sailing programme.