Megan Thomson’s 2.0 Racing Team Win 2023 Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships
Auckland, New Zealand – The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) hosted the 2023 Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships from 16-19 November. Megan Thomson’s 2.0 Racing Team took out the final 3-0 against Ella Arnold and her RNZYS Youth Training Programme Team. Thomson and Team secured the win off the back of finishing third in the 2023 Women’s World Match Racing Tour earlier this year.
Arnold and team are newcomers to the national match racing scene having joined the RNZYS Mastercard Youth Training Programme this year. The event was their first regatta together, RNZYS Performance sailing manager Zak Merton says, “The hard work the girls have put into their training this year has really paid off, it’s great to see them out here pushing some of New Zealand’s best sailors”.
The Yachting New Zealand Team of Daniella Wooldridge, Jess Handley, Bella Jenkins, Rose Dickey and Gretel Satterthwaite made their match racing debut at the weekend showing an impressive improvement throughout the event. The team was put together from the top youth dinghy sailors in the country, none of whom had match raced before. After scoring no wins in two round robins, Wooldridge and team secured their first win of the event against second ranked team Ella Arnold and her RNZYS Youth Training Programme crew in the first match of quarter finals. Wooldridge secured another win in the third match pushing the quarter final flight out to the full 5 matches, with Arnold ultimately winning 3-2 to progress to semi-finals.
Liv Mackay, a youth world champion in the Nacra 17 class, and a favourite for selection to Emirates Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup Women’s Team, also made her match racing debut finishing in third place overall.
Conditions were challenging throughout the weekend with frequent squalls producing shifty variable winds and strong gusts. In true Auckland style the sun appeared for the final race of the regatta and a celebratory swim from Thomson and her team upon winning the final race.
Final Standings:
- Megan Thomson, Josi Andres, Sophia Fyfe, Ellie Copeland & Charlotte Porter – Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
- Ella Arnold, Sophie-Jo Hawkins, Phoebe Buckland, Maddie Rist & Alissa Marshall – RNZYS Youth Training Programme
- Liv Mackay, Anna Merchant, Serena Woodall, Gemma Jones, Greta Pilkington – Live Ocean / Napier Sailing Club
- Chelsea Williams – Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
- Brooke Adamson– Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
- Claudia Pierce – Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
- Daniella Wooldridge – Yachting New Zealand Development Squad
Full results: matchracingresults.com
