russell coutts
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Sir Russell Coutts won his first regatta in Dunedin at age nine and at 22 won an Olympic gold medal in the Finn class. In addition to an impressive series of international victories, including the Nippon Cup, the Bermuda Cup, and the World Match Racing championships, Russell has won and defended the America’s Cup. Russell is a passionate and inspirational coach and patron with an unparalleled depth of experience and knowledge.
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AARON HUME-MERRY
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Aaron brings a wealth of coaching experience and enthusiasm to the role of General Manager and Head Coach. Supported by an excellent team of coaches and administrators, Aaron directs all coaching activities at the club, building on the already successful junior programme which was revamped in 2016. His sailing background is primarily in dinghies where he most notably sailed Lasers and 49ers. More recently Aaron has exposed himself to a wider variety of sailing, graduating from the RNZYS Performance Program, winning the Keelboat Nationals, and being part of the NZ Extreme Sailing Team for two events in 2017.
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CHRIS BROOKS
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Chris Brooks is one of our Senior Sailing Coaches here at the Foundation, and doesn't just bring a funny accent to the table! Chris has coached at a number of international sailing centres and has a wealth of knowledge he's eager to pass on to our participants. His sound appreciation of best practice safety standards is no surprise given his experience, and his motivation is infectious! Chris is a much loved member of the team and it's no surprise he has a great rapport with the sailors too. You'll often hear Chris commenting on his love for the 29er, a class he spent several years sailing back home in the UK, and to add to his already impressive resume, Chris is also a qualified windsurfing coach.
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JAMES WILSON
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I’m James and I love to sail! I’ve been sailing since I was 11 and have been lucky enough to have sailed and competed in a number of different classes and programs. Some of which are: Opti, 29er, Nacra and 49er. Also, I have been lucky enough to have been coached at an early age by the head coach here at Manly Sailing Club, Aaron. A lot of the opportunities I have received and the things I have learnt are owed to him! I’m currently sailing in the RNZYS Performance Program where we predominantly match race but also get the opportunity to sail many other kinds of boats. I’m also campaigning in the 49er for the upcoming worlds which are based Auckland.
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Hayden Whitburn
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Hayden started sailing in Dunedin, progressing through all junior classes and achieving National titles before moving to Auckland. He joined the RNZYS Program and won the Warren Jones Australian match racing champs in Perth. More recently, Hayden has traveled the world racing Hobie 16’s and 18 foot skiffs.
Hayden is an experienced coach and tireless administrator, working hard to grow the fleet and with his new business ventures, spends less time on the water coaching but more time ensuring our sailors have the equipment they need to take part! |
GEMMA JONES
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Gemma started sailing Optimist aged 9 years at Murray's Bay Sailing Club. Progressing to the 420, she achieved 2nd at the nationals (1st girls team) and went to the 2011 youth worlds in Croatia. Having seen her dad move to the catamaran classes in the Americas cup, Gemma thought it looked pretty cool and moved to the SL16 - achieving 5th place at the 2012 Youth Worlds- and on to the Nacra 17. Gemma and teammate Jason Saunders achieved 5th place at the 2014 ISAF worlds and 4th at the 2016 Rio Olympics. They hope to go to Tokyo in 2020 and come home with a medal.
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CHRIS STEELE
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Chris has coached to world level for a number of years now including New Zealand's top Optimist worlds teams and that comes off the back of a very successful junior sailing history of his own. Chris is still the only New Zealander to ever win an Optimist Worlds and following on from that has an impressive resume of national titles and international podium finishes. Chris skippered the young NZ Extreme Sailing Team in the Extreme Sailing Series in 2017, and has been a hot contender for the m32 World Match Racing Tour Championship, placing 4th at the 2017 edition.
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MOLLY MEECH
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Molly grew up on a yacht with a sailing family and has been sailing dinghies since she was 12. For the past 5 years she has been competing in the 49erFX Olympic class. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Molly and teamate Alex Maloney won a silver medal. The pair are now campaigning for Tokyo 2020. Molly has been coaching in multiple classes over the years, and loves to help and encourage the next generation of sailors.
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sam meech
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Sam was introduced to sailing at a young age, sailing around the world with his family (including sister Molly) from 1997 until 2003. Arriving back in New Zealand, Sam started racing dinghies on Hamilton Lake and eventually progressed to the Laser Class. Career highlights have included winning gold at the ISAF Youth Worlds in Brazil, gold in the Under 21 Laser Worlds in France and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
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