Olympic hopeful Zander Kirkland coached Newport Harbour to glory in the 420 class at last weekend's Inter Scholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) Doublehanded Championships.

The event was co-hosted by the University of South Florida and St.Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida.

Kirkland's varsity sailing team captured A Division honours and should again be among the top contenders at next week's National Team Racing Championships, which will be held on home surf in California.

"It's always tough watching the racing from the dock. But I was very happy for the team because they really deserved it," said Kirkland.

Last month Kirkland's younger sibling, Jessie, the reining Long Distance Comet Race champion, helped St.Mary's College to a top five finish at the Admiral's Cup held at King's Point in New York.

Also competing in Florida last weekend was Kirkland's compatriots, Joshua Greenslade, Blake Burgess and Jono Dill who helped the Christchurch School Seahorses to a respectable ninth place finish in an overall fleet of 20 of the top varsity sailing schools in the US.

Greenslade and Burgess led the charge for the Seahorses who qualified for last weekend's championships in Florida after winning the Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Sailing Association (MASSA) District Fleet Racing Championships in New York.

After a slow start, Greenslade struck form when it mattered most to post two bullets and finish sixth overall in the A Division.

"It was really cool seeing Josh and Blake sailing against the best sailors at this level in the US," Kirkland said.

Burgess, who was hospitalised the day before the start of the regatta with a lung infection, posted four top five finishes – including two seconds – while B Division team-mate Dill consistently placed among the top 20 to hold their end of the bargain.

It was the Seahorses' first appearance at the ISSA National Doublehanded Championships.

An overall top ten finish would have done their confidence the world of good ahead of next week's National Team Racing Championships in Redwood, California.

Earlier this month the Seahorses added the Virginia Interscholastic Sailing Association (VISSA) Spring Series Fleet Racing Championship to the Fall Series title they captured last December, with Greenslade and Burgess leading the way with 11 bullets between them.