The Appliances Online Youth Performance Awards sit within the annual Barfoot and Thompson Yachting Excellence Awards and recognise New Zealand’s top young sailing talent. Focused on youth sailors who deliver standout results at home and overseas, the awards form an important part of Yachting New Zealand’s long running Excellence Awards programme.
Appliances Online sponsors this category to support the next generation of high performance sailors.
The 2025 list celebrating a dozen young sailors and one school team for major wins in double handed racing and strong results across key regattas.
Ella Arnold and Ben Roff
Ella Arnold and Ben Roff received a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after winning the SSANZ Northern Triangle Race overall. Sailing the smallest boat in the fleet, the Ross 830 Flaming Lips, they claimed first on PHRF against far older crews. Their campaign prep, skill and resilience stood out, with both sailors active in RNZYS youth programmes. Their open-fleet victory marked them as rising talents in New Zealand sailing.
Matteo Barker
Matteo Barker earned a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after a standout year in the Optimist class. He placed 10th at the 2025 Optimist Worlds, the best Kiwi result since 2019, defended his national title, and won both the North Island and Auckland champs. Barker also impressed with fourth in his first 29er Nationals. A Murrays Bay sailor, he is regarded as one of New Zealand’s brightest young talents.
Stella Bilger
Stella Bilger received a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after winning the iQFOiL Under 23 World Championship in Portugal. She surged from fourth in qualifying to take gold with a bold tactical move in the final, leading a New Zealand one two with teammate Aimee Bright. A Wakatere sailor and part of the national windfoiling programme, she also finished inside the top ten at the European Championships. She was also named Young Female Sailor of the Year.
Stella Bilger storms to u23 world crown as Kiwis claim one-two
Aimee Bright
Aimee Bright earned a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after a breakout season in the iQFOiL class. She won silver at the Under 23 Worlds in Portugal, finished 15th at the senior Worlds in Aarhus, and claimed podiums at Sail Melbourne and the NZ nationals. A Manly Sailing Club sailor and coach with the Russell Coutts Sailing Foundation, she is widely seen as one of New Zealand’s rising windfoiling talents.
Mattias Coutts
Mattias Coutts earned an Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after a dominant season in the Moth class. He won the 2024 PredictWind Moth Worlds at Manly, added the 2025 Moth Nationals and STACK Winter Champs, and began a strong 49er campaign with Oscar Gunn. He also posted top results at major foiling regattas. His rapid rise, without the usual youth-class pathway, marked him as a standout talent in 2025.
Home-favourite, Mattias Coutts, dominates in the Moth World Championships at the Manly Sailing Club
Xervier Doney
Xervier Doney earned a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after becoming a double world champion in para sailing at just 17. He won both the Hansa 303 one person and two person titles at the 2025 Para Sailing International Championships, sailing the latter with his father. A Sailability Wellington member, he also claimed the Ability Cup at the NZ nationals, becoming the first Kiwi with Down syndrome to win at this level.
George Pilkington
George Pilkington earned a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after a standout season in ILCA 7 and match racing. He finished fifth at the U21 ILCA 7 Worlds in Ireland, won a race, and posted seven top 10 finishes. He also claimed bronze at the UK Nationals as the top U21 sailor. A coach with the Russell Coutts Sailing Foundation, he is recognised as one of New Zealand’s rising international talents.
Jake Pye
Jake Pye received a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after a superb run in the Moth class. He won bronze at the 2025 Moth Worlds in Garda, finishing as top U23 sailor, following his silver at the 2024 Worlds. He also placed second at Foiling Week and is a multiple NZ national champion. His form earned him selection as the youngest sailor on Emirates Team New Zealand for the next America’s Cup cycle.
The great recalibration: Inside Team New Zealand’s next America’s Cup campaign
Summer Torbet
Summer Torbet earned a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after a standout result at the Open Skiff Worlds in Japan. At just 12, the Manly sailor won the U13 Female World title and claimed bronze overall in the mixed fleet, with nine top five finishes and two race wins. It marked a huge leap from her 2024 debut and reflected her commitment to daily training and rapid progression on the world stage.
Chloe Turner
Chloe Turner earned a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after winning the ILCA 6 Under 17 female world title in Los Angeles. She finished 13th overall in the 81 boat fleet, taking the U17 crown by 14 points. A Murrays Bay sailor and two time first girl at the NZ ILCA Nationals, she races with the NZL Sailing Foundation Youth Team and aims for future Olympic success. Her win came during a dominant stretch for young Kiwi sailors on the world stage.
Youth, grit, and glory at the 2025 PredictWind NZ Youth Championships
Zofia Wells and Charlotte Handley
Zofia Wells and Charlotte Handley earned a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after winning the RS Feva female world title in France. They also finished second overall in the 168 boat open fleet, just two points off the lead. Their dominant run included four straight race wins on day two. Sailing together for less than a year, the Glendowie and Murrays Bay duo also picked up the PredictWind Emerging Talent Award.
Youth sailors set for 2025 PredictWind New Zealand Youth Championships
Westlake Girls High School sailing team
The Westlake Girls High School team earned a 2025 Appliances Online Youth Performance Award after a dominant season, winning the Interdominion and NZ Secondary Schools titles for the third straight year, plus the Harken and Girls NZ Keelboat crowns. The 2025 crew were Jess Handley, Charlotte Handley, Kiera Dimock, Emily Turner, Bella Jenkins, Danielle Robertson, Gretel Satterthwaite and Julia Nguyen, coached by Robbie Wooldridge.
