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Starling Match Racing Championship profile – Rory Sims

 In Major Regattas, Match Racing, Member Interest, News

The Starling class is a crucial part of the dinghy pathway for New Zealand’s developing sailors, and the Starling Match Racing Championship showcases the best and brightest teenage sailors coming through from yacht clubs across New Zealand. One of the sailors looking to hone their skills and hopefully take home a national title is Glendowie Boating Club’s Rory Sims.

“I was initially intrigued by the sport at 12 through my father, who is a sailor, and through the interest of the Americas cup that was around at that time”, says Rory.

Glendowie is the home of the Starling class with the Club, holding the design rights to the class – so the progression into the Starling has come naturally to Rory. He also sails the 420 class, and occasionally takes part in keelboat racing aboard his father’s Young 88. Rory has spent 3 years racing Starlings, and he loves training and racing in the class with his friends on the Tamaki River.

“I have always been interested in the competitive aspect of all sports, so naturally I was very interested in getting into the racing side of sailing”, says Rory. ”My favourite thing about sailing is feeling the speed and power of the boat, as well as winning races”. 

Throughout his young sailing career Rory has taken part in local and national regatta’s across the country, and was also able to take part in Optimist regattas in Australia. His current best result has been a 6th place at the 2021 Starling National Championships, but he hopes that this will change in 2022 starting with his pursuit of a National Starling Match Racing Championship. He is also an avid footballer, and loves to spend his time on the golf course too.

Having mainly competed in fleet racing at local and national Starling regattas, Rory is “looking forward to the match racing aspect, as I don’t often match race”. However, Rory is “also looking forward to meeting and catching up with sailors from all around New Zealand” after a disruptive last few years for dinghy racing.

We are looking forward to some fantastic racing and incredible duels between New Zealand’s best teenage dinghy sailors throughout the Starling Match Racing Championships. We hope 2022 sees the emphatic return of dinghy racing across the country, so Rory and his fellow sailors can compete again and continue to hone their match racing skills.

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