Two Sailing Honours announced in New Zealand

by Sail-World on 7 Jun 2010
There have been two honours made to sailors in the New Zealand Queens Birthday Honours list, with Louis Vuitton's Yves Carcelle, of Paris, France, was made an Honorary member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Devonport Yacht Club's Martin Foster was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Both receive their awards for Services to Yachting.

Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Yves Carcelle, is a familiar face in New Zealand, particularly so when there is a major Louis Vuitton Regatta being staged in this country.

Yves Carcelle joined the LVMH group in 1989 as Strategic Director, two years after New Zealand had stepped onto the America's Cup stage in Fremantle. He became Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton Malletier in 1990, and President in 2002.

Martin Foster was Executive Secretary for the then New Zealand Yachting Federation in the late 1970's and 80's, working as a part-time administrator for the national body from offices in Shortland Street. That paralleled numerous active club sailing administration roles, particularly with the Devonport Yacht Club and together with Sir Peter Blake launched the Two Man Round North Island Race in 1977. Foster was a long time mentor of Peter Blake and close friend of the Blake family. The two tried to get a New Zealand entry into the 1977-78 Whitbread Race, they were unsuccessful but got the backing of Sir Tom Clark and Ceramco for the 1981-82 WRTW race and that style of entry - backed by sponsors rather than a wealthy Patron - became the blueprint for a host of similar New Zealand managed campaigns covering all the major world sailing events.

A very competent and fastidious administrator, Foster worked quietly in the background for Blake's campaigns ensuring that there were no holes in the knitting together of trusts, sponsors and donors. His comment that 'you can't have good competition without good administration' was the hallmark of any sailing initiative in which Foster was involved.