About Us
Tessa Clinton
Will Mason
I am currently a year 13 student attending Carmel College, and have sailed competitively for the last 7 years. My dream from a young age is to represent New Zealand at the Olympics and strive to win as many world titles as I can. I have grown up on the North Shore, sailed out of Wakatere Boating Club and predominantly competed in the Optimist, P Class and 420.
I have won nine National Championships across the Optimist, 420, 29er, and Sunburst, and three Youth National Championships in the 420, which allowed me to qualify for and represent New Zealand at the Youth World Championships three times.
In 2023, I was the first female team to win both 420 and 29er female National Championships in the same year, and Will and I recently became the first mixed team to win the 420 National Championships outright.
My biggest achievement to date was getting a bronze medal in the 2025 Youth World Championships in the female 420 Class. We were the first female team to medal at this event since 2009.
I am a year 13 student at Takapuna Grammar School with a passion for sailing and a dream of representing New Zealand at the Olympics.
I started sailing at the age of seven, and I have been a member of Wakatere Boating Club ever since.
I have won ten National Championships, seven of which are in different classes. In doing so, I became the first person to ever win the Optimist and Starling National Championships in the same year, the first mixed team to win the 420 National Championship, and I recently became the youngest helm to ever win the Young 88 National Championship. At the end of 2025, I won the Youth National Championship in the 29er, earning my place to represent New Zealand at the Youth Sailing World Championships.
Throughout my junior sailing, I have built three boats with my Dad, two Starlings and a P Class, all made out of plywood. I competed in both of these boats, placing third at the National Championships in each boat. This was an invaluable experience.
Will Mason
Awards
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College Sport - Male Young Sportsperson of the Year Nominee (2025)
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Merit Award (2023, 2024, 2025)
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Takapuna Grammar School Sportsman of the Year (2025)
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Takapuna Grammar School Junior Sportsman of the Year (2024)
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Wakatere Boating Club Sportsmanship Award (2024)
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Wakatere Boating Club All Round Merit Award (2023, 2024, 2025)
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Sir Peter Blake Trophy for Outstanding Achievement (2023)
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AIMES Emerging Talent Award (2023)
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Yachting New Zealand Emerging Talent Award (2023)
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Yachting New Zealand Youth Performance Award (2023)
Awards
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College Sport - Female Young Sportsperson of the Year Nominee (2024)
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Wakatere Boating Club Female Sailor of the year (2025, 2024, 2023)
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2 x Outstanding Sporting Achievement, Carmel College (2024, 2025)
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Yachting New Zealand Emerging Talent Award (2022)
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Yachting New Zealand Performance Award (2023)
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Blues Awards Carmel College (2022)
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14th 29er European Championship (2025) - Lake Garda, Italy
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14th 29er Youth Sailing World Championships (2025) - Vilamoura, Portugal
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2nd 29er Kieler Woche Regatta - Kiel, Germany (2025)
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1st 29er Southside Regatta - Hong Kong (2025)
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1st 29er Hong Kong Selection Regatta (2025)
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1st 29er Vilamoura Grand Prix - Portugal (2025)
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23rd 29er World Championships - Aarhus, Denmark (2024)
International
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3rd 420 Youth World Championships (2025) - Villamoura, Portugal
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1st 420 Female Vilamoura Grand Prix - 2nd Overall - Portugal (2025)
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13th 420 Youth World Championships - Lake Garda, Italy (2024)
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15th 420 Youth World Championships - Buzios, Brazil (2023)
New Zealand National Titles
International
29er
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2 x 29er National Champions (2025, 2024)
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29er Youth National Champions - Youth World Championships Selection (2025)
Young 88
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Young 88 National Champions - Helm (2026)
Waszp
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2 x Youth Waszp National Champion - 2nd Overall (2025, 2026)
Match Racing
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Youth Match Racing National Champions (2025)
Starling
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U16 Starling National Champion - 3rd Overall (2024)
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Starling National Champion (2023)
Optimist
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Optimist National Champion (2023)
Team Sailing
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Secondary Schools Teams Racing National Champions - Takapuna Grammar School (2022)
Will Mason
New Zealand National Titles
Will Mason
420
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3 x 420 Youth Female National Champion - Youth World Championship Selection (2023, 2024, 2025)
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2 x 420 Open Female National Champions (2023, 2025)
29er
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29er Female National Champions (2023)
Sunburst
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Sunburst National Champions (2026)
Optimist
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2 x Optimist Female National Champion (2020, 2021)
Tessa Clinton
Achievements
As a Team
After winning the 420 National Championship in March 2026, our focus over the next two years is building towards the 2028 Olympics in the 470 Class. Our main short-term goals are to medal at an international junior regatta and to put ourselves in a strong position to represent New Zealand at the Olympics.
A big focus for us is creating a strong team environment. In a class like the 470, our teamwork is just as important as how fast our boat is. We want to build a partnership where communication is clear, we trust each other under pressure and we’re both willing to be honest and push each other. That means holding each other accountable at training, backing each other when things aren’t going well, and making sure we’re always moving forward.
To support this, we are prioritising high-quality training in New Zealand. Our sessions are structured with clear intent - focusing on boat speed, handling, and race execution across a range of conditions. We aim to replicate race scenarios in training and consistently review performance to identify areas for improvement.
We are also focusing on consistency and preparation. This includes maintaining regular on-water training, structured physical conditioning, and reviewing key learnings after training sessions and regattas. The goal is to ensure that we are prepared to perform at our best from the start, as we lead up to our first international regatta.