Six teams set to contest the Oceanbridge NZ Match Racing Championship at RNZYS
by Ella Sagnol/RNZYS Media 30 Oct 07:04 EST
Matt Steven and Scotty Dickson racing in the 2011 New Zealand Match Racing Championship final, the last time the event was sailed in Farr MRX keelboats © RNZYS Media
Olympic medallists, returning match racers and some of New Zealand’s most promising young sailors will meet this weekend as the Oceanbridge New Zealand Match Racing Championship returns to MRX keelboats for the first time since 2011.
Hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the championship opened with registration and training today, followed by three days of racing from Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November. [Strong winds did not permit any racing on Friday, the event will be sailed on Saturday and Sunday.]
The six-team field brings together skippers Josh Hyde, Ethan Fong, Sam Scott, Noah Malpot, Erica Dawson and Harry Thurston, with plenty of experience spread throughout their crews.
“Around 70% of the sailors competing this weekend have come through the RNZYS Youth Training Programme pathway. From America’s Cup sailors to world champions and everything in between, this fleet really highlights the depth of talent the programme has produced over its 39 years,” says RNZYS Sailing Manager Ella Sagnol.
The return to the 10.3-metre, Bruce Farr-designed MRXs marks a significant change for the championship. For the past 15 years, the event has been contested in the smaller Elliott 7m class, a fleet that has helped develop New Zealand’s latest generation of youth sailing talent. The MRXs bring their own history, having been purpose-built in Auckland for the 1990 World Match Racing Championship.
With many international open match racing events sailed in larger keelboats, this year’s championship offers valuable experience in a format less readily available on the Australian and New Zealand regatta circuits. The move demands a different approach to boat handling, crew coordination and manoeuvres, adding another challenge for teams accustomed to the more nimble Elliott 7s.
That change also sets up one of the weekend’s most interesting contests: how quickly the younger crews can adapt to the bigger boats, and whether experienced sailors competing less regularly on the match racing circuit can draw on their keelboat knowledge to gain an edge. With recent racing practice on one side and years of experience on the other, the MRXs could help level the playing field.
Race Officer Paula Satterthwaite says the forecast could add another challenge for competitors.
“The PredictWind forecast is for strong southwesterly to westerly winds for Friday’s opening day of racing, moderating slightly on Saturday. Sunday is still anyone’s guess at this stage, with a possible northerly change. It should keep both the sailors and the race management team on their toes.”
RNZYS Performance Sailing Coach Harry Thurston is among those hoping that experience will count. Both Thurston and mainsail trimmer Guy Pilkington were part of Reuben Corbett’s winning crew at the 2024 New Zealand Match Racing Championship. This year they join forces with match racing alumni Robbs Hielkema, Arnau Farras-Knowles, Jon Barnett and Theodore Graham.
“I’ve been fortunate to win this event four times, sailing with skippers Chris Steele, Will Tiller, Andy Maloney and Reuben Corbett. It would be pretty special to add a fifth with my hand on the helm, but with the quality of this field, making the semi-finals would be a win for us,” says Thurston.
For Erica Dawson’s Emirates Team New Zealand representative crew, the championship offers an opportunity to build teamwork while getting to grips with the MRXs. Dawson, a Paris 2024 Nacra 17 bronze medallist, and Serena Woodall raced for Emirates Team New Zealand in the 38th America’s Cup preliminary events. They will race alongside fellow current Emirates Team New Zealand sailors Molly Meech, a Rio 2016 49erFX silver medallist, and Helena Sanderson, with George Lee Rush, Lachlan Wills and Matt Steven completing the crew.
“Doing the match racing nationals is a great opportunity for us involved in the youth and women’s America’s Cup to get time racing together as a team. We will use this event to work on our communication skills as a team and to build match racing skills and understanding,” says Dawson.
“We spend so many hours training indoors on an AC40 simulator, it will be fun to get on the water!”
There is also a fitting connection to the championship’s history aboard Dawson’s boat. Pit crew member Matt Steven won the national match racing title in 2011, the last year the event was contested in MRXs.
Josh Hyde arrives with momentum from a successful international season. Racing with Waitemata Racing, Hyde won the 2026 Chicago Grand Slam and finished as the leading skipper across the US Grand Slam Series, earning an invitation to the prestigious 2027 Congressional Cup in Long Beach, California.
His crew includes someone who already knows what it takes to win that event. Jack Frewin was part of Cole Tapper’s victorious 2026 Congressional Cup team and now joins Hyde, Nick Drummond, Mason Mulcahy, Marin Armstrong-Wills, Nelsen Meacham and Oliver Lloyd in the hunt for the national title.
Ethan Fong has already shown he can get the better of Hyde under pressure, winning their five-race final 3-2 at this year’s New Zealand Youth Match Racing Worlds Trials. With Lucas Day, Hugo McMullen, Ollie Gilmore, Wilbur Stanley and Sam Clarke aboard, Fong will be looking to carry that form into the larger keelboats.
Sam Scott, who completed the podium at those trials, adds another competitive combination to the fleet. His crew brings together Finn Balchin, Tim McCulloch, Ben Roff, Macgregor Jones, James Hopkins and Alissa Marshall. Meanwhile, Noah Malpot will race with Rye Brady, Zak Merton, Luca Smith and Tayne Haag, with Will Mason on tactics.
With proven international performers, Olympic medallists and experienced national champions spread across the six teams, the stage is set for three closely contested days as crews vie for the Oceanbridge New Zealand Match Racing Championship title.
For event information and results: visit the event website
