Karleen Dixon – with her crew of Sara Tucker, Paula Satterthwaite, Jennifer Jameson, Raynor Haagh, Miranda Addy and Kylie Jameson – is the 2020 Barfoot & Thompson NZ Women’s National Keelboat Champion.

Dixon prevailed after two days of full-on racing in Auckland in winds consistently blowing upwards of 20 knots, making for intense conditions for the 10 teams.

With the wild conditions there were a few wipeouts, man overboards and other hairy moments, but for the vast majority of the racing all teams showed exceptional strength and boat-handing skills.

Finishing in second place for the fourth year in a row was Melinda Henshaw, while defending champion Sally Garrett was third.

Dixon won the first race of the regatta and never looked back, going on to clinch six out of the 10 races sailed and win the regatta by a massive 11-point margin. This is Dixon’s sixth Barfoot & Thompson NZ Women’s National Keelboat Championship title, a fantastic run which dates back to the early 2000s.