Hawke's Bay sailor step closer to Tokyo Olympics

Olivia Mackay and Micah Wilkinson are the only newcomers in the New Zealand sailing team. Photo / Pedro Martinez

Memo to Napier Sailing Club commodore Paul Redman: The pleasure was all mine.

One of the more pleasing aspects of our job is passing on news of national selections to people. Redman was delighted yesterday when we informed him one of his club members Olivia Mackay had been selected in the New Zealand team for August's combined world championships, when all of the Olympic classes compete at the same regatta.

This is the pinnacle event of the year and also doubles as the first qualification regatta for the Tokyo Olympics. Mackay, 21, and her Nacra 17 crew Micah Wilkinson from Te Awamutu's Ngaroto Sailing Club are the only newcomers.

"I hadn't heard the news until you told me. I'm stoked because I've watched Olivia come through the ranks since she was 9. Should she make the cut for the Olympics, Olivia will be the first from our club since Kylie Jameson went to Athens in 2004," Redman said.

Mackay and Wilkinson are up against the more experienced Kiwi Nacra 17 crew of Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders in the battle for an Olympic Games berth. Jones and Saunders have some unfinished business after finishing fourth in Rio and at last year's Nacra world championships where Mackay and Wilkinson were 10th despite taking delivery of their catamaran three days before the regatta started.

In 2016 Mackay and Wilkinson won the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final in the United States. With this victory Mackay became the first Napier club member to taste world championship glory since Barry Finlayson and Ian Norrie won the 1980 Flying Fifteen World Championship.

Former Woodford House student Mackay's 2016 title was one of the highlights of the club's 125th anniversary year. Mackay and Wilkinson are in their fourth year of racing in the Nacra 17 class where 5.5m (18 foot) long Flying Phantom foiling catamaran boats are raced and in 2016 were the under-23 world champions.

Yachting New Zealand's communications manager Michael Brown said as a result of their selection Mackay and Wilkinson will receive additional funding because they are in the country's top squad.

"They are tracking well."

The 2018 New Zealand sailing team has a fresh look to it with three additions to last year's squad, Laser class sailor Tom Saunders and Mackay and Wilkinson. The squad has increased in size from 11 to 13.

Two-time Olympic medallist Jo Aleh is the only name missing from last year's team. Aleh has joined the workforce and is not campaigning, although she has not retired from the sport.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have been named, although the pair have not yet made a final decision on whether they will attempt to defend their Olympic title in Tokyo. They are still competing in the Volvo Ocean Race.

Other members of the squad are: Sam Meech (Laser), Josh Junior (Finn), Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (49erFX), Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox (men's 470).

Yachting New Zealand high performance director Ian Stewart is excited about the ability within the 2018 team and said this year is about results.