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.