The Nelson College Sailing Team competed in the 2019 Interdominion Schools Team Sailing Championships last month in Hobart, Tasmania. The championships were sailed on Hobart’s beautiful River Derwent.
The team battled against top Australian and New Zealand secondary school teams across a 4-day regatta in cold conditions. They placed 1st out of the New Zealand teams, and 3rd overall – an amazing achievement!
Teammates (from left to right): Tim Douglas, Logan Schokking, Mario Moody, Hamish Praat, Tilo Thevenard, Peter Gamble.
“We are very proud to have achieved 3rd place and top New Zealand team at the regatta,” said Tilo Thevenard, one of the teammates of the Nelson College Sailing Team.
“During the 4-day regatta, we raced against the top Australian teams. Unfortunately, as a country, we were unable to win back the Australia vs New Zealand trophy,” Tilo said.
The team’s superb sailing and hard work was acknowledged with them receiving level two colours. They also gained valuable experience across their time in the regatta that will carry with them for competitions in the future.
The team sailing on the River Derwent.
The team were also very excited to visit Hobart, and for most of the team, it was the coldest conditions they had ever sailed in, where they experienced snow on some of the days.
“Visiting Hobart was an awesome experience… one of the team highlights, apart from racing, was making the trip up Mount Wellington where we braved the cold and crazy winds to get a couple of photos of the team overlooking Hobart. The wind chill was -3 degrees Celsius,” said Tilo.
The team braving the chilly summit of Mount Wellington in Hobart.
We congratulate the Nelson College Sailing Team on this phenomenal achievement, where they represented New Zealand with some great sailing. We wish them luck for their future competitions.
“We are very proud to have been able to represent New Zealand internationally and this is a huge achievement for our school. This trip was an amazing experience for the team and myself. Thank you so much for your support that allowed this trip to be possible.”
