Zofia Wells’ Tanner Cup win places her among rare company in P Class history. From light airs to tight margins down the order, the 2026 regatta delivered a result shaped by consistency, composure, and depth of skill.
In 2002, Jo Aleh made history as the first woman to win the Tanner Cup since its inception in 1945. Aleh went on to compete in four Olympics, winning medals in two games and joining Emirates Team New Zealand.
Jo Aleh, and the difference between representation and tokenism
Eight years later, Erica Dawson became the second woman to win the Tanner Cup. Dawson has since competed in two Olympic Games (Nacra 17s) and was part of the Women’s America’s Cup team for Emirates Team New Zealand.
Zofia Wells’ win in the 2026 edition of the Tanner Cup is a historic victory that places her among 81 winners and just three women in the Cup’s history.
The P Class is a demanding mistress, a realistic training craft for youth sailors. The Tanner Cup is one of New Zealand’s toughest junior sailing trophies. The course offered many opportunities to lose focus and control; six races leave little room for error.
Today’s racing had the added complication of a lack of wind, with sailors watchful to catch the breeze. It speaks to Wells’ depth of skill, hardened by back-to-back Girls Optimist National Championship wins in 2024 and 2025, that she was able to win this class regardless of gender.
On Day 1, Wells posted scores of 1-2-1, with Gretta Hutton taking the second race. Day 2 proved more challenging, with results of (6)-3-1. Wells’ sixth place was discarded under the rules. Harry Strang won the fifth race, with Lachy Wills second.
Lachy Wills finished second overall on 17 points. The battle behind him was tight, with Luca Blundell third on 20 points and Gretta Hutton sixth on 23. Consistency proved the key differentiator.
In the Centenary Cup, Hamish Brown placed first in every race, another notch in his P Class belt after winning the 2025 Tanner Cup. Neither Flora Stevens nor Annika Wells was able to maintain yesterday’s form, where they traded second and third place in two of the three races. Stevens secured second on 16 points, never finishing worse than fifth on the final day. Annika Wells slipped a few points behind but still finished third on 21 points. Other Centenary Cup standouts included 4th-placed Will Handley with a 2-3 across the final two races and 12th-placed Hudson Halla, who pulled one out of the bag in the final race to finish second.
The Tanner Cup and Centenary Trophy have now set the stage for the start of the Tauranga Cup tomorrow, which has been won by a woman only once, when Katie Stewart claimed the title in 2014, in its 76-year history. Correction: two women have won the Tauranga Cup, Leslie Egnot (two-time Olympian and silver medalist) being the first in 1979.
