Several RAYC sailors recently returned from Goolwa, South Australia, after representing New Zealand at the Secondary Schools Team Racing Interdominion Championships — the pinnacle event on the secondary schools sailing calendar. The regatta brought together the best young sailors from across New Zealand and Australia, competing in fast-paced team racing formats. For those unfamiliar with team racing, races are typically 5-10 minutes long and require the three boats to work together to net the lowest total scores across the finish line.
New Zealand sent two teams in the Open Division — Auckland Grammar School and the NZL Combined Team (featuring sailors from St Kentigern, Rangitoto, and Nelson schools) and three teams in the Girls Division — Westlake Girls, St Kentigern Girls, and Napier Girls. Across four of these teams, RAYC was proudly represented by a strong contingent of sailors:
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- Auckland Grammar – Ashton Cooke, Nate Soper, and Marlon Porteous
- Saint Kentigern Girls – Lola Hutchens
- Westlake Girls – Keira Dimock and Charlotte Handley
- NZL Combined Team – Jack Scarlett, Keaton Lay, and Hugo Davies
The teams trained together for three days leading into the event before embarking on three full days of racing. Conditions at Goolwa were far from easy — sailors faced strong and shifty winds on the shallow waters of the Goolwa Channel, racing in Pacers, a class of dinghy unfamiliar to most of the Kiwi sailors. Despite the challenges, all teams adapted quickly and performed with teamwork and growing confidence as the regatta progressed. Despite a few delays to racing due to squalls of over 30 knots, with every round the New Zealand teams got their teeth into the racing more and more.
The Auckland Grammar team put in a consistent and composed performance across all rounds, ultimately finishing 2nd overall in the Open Division behind The Hutchins School from Tasmania. In the Girls Division, Westlake Girls impressed throughout the week to claim the overall title, a testament to their training and composure under pressure. This victory marks a third consecutive title for Westlake Girls in the Interdoms – taking out the title in Sydney, Auckland & now Goolwa. Is a fourth one on the cards when the regatta returns to RAYC in October 2026?
The St Kentigern Girls team placed 5th, but their steady progression was one of the standout stories of the event — winning 60% of their races in the final round and showing significant improvement across the regatta. Meanwhile, the NZL Combined Team also finished 5th in the Open Division, delivering wins against strong Australian competition.
These results highlight thedepth of talent emerging through New Zealand’s secondary schools sailing and the strength of RAYC’s development pathway and team racing coaching. Team Racing has become a key component of our coaching offerings at the club over the last few years and now the club has members across teams that currently hold almost every available title within the discipline:
Schools Interdominion Girls Championships (Westlake Girls)
Schools NZL National Championships (Auckland Grammar)
Schools Auckland Regionals (Auckland Grammar)
NZL Open National Championships (Ship Happens)
RAYC congratulates all sailors who took part and thanks the coaches, families and schools who supported their journeys. Their performances in Goolwa reflect the spirit of sportsmanship & sporting excellence that lie at the heart of our club. We’re proud to see so many RAYC sailors representing New Zealand with distinction.
