At this 48-boat event Percy, who finished second in Auckland last year and in Sydney in 2016, became the fifth Kiwi and first from Hawke's Bay to win it in its 43-year history. He recorded six wins and two second placings and also led the top 10 Kiwis to an emphatic win over the top 10 Aussies.
"This was only the second time this has happened on Australian waters since 1975. The Aussies were a bit gutted," Percy said.
The ex Karamu High School student has been sailing in the Paper Tiger class for 10 years. He spearheaded a Kiwi trifecta in Melbourne with Derek Scott from Auckland's Torbay Sailing Club second and New Plymouth Sailing Club's Dylan Taylor third. Scott was second by a similar margin, seven points, to Percy in the nationals.
"I've sailed well during the last two to three years. But it was extremely satisfying to do well in my first season with the new boat which I had put so much time into," Percy recalled.
"Basically it was a two-winter building mission. In 2016 it was the rudders and other bits and pieces, and last winter it was the hull.
"I made the hull bang on the minimum weight limit of 50kg and I made the hull stiffer than my old boat so it sits higher on the water."
At 70kg, Percy is the ideal weight for the single-handed class.
"Most of the competitors in our class are 65-75kg. Obviously if the winds are stronger than 15 knots the heavier guys will have the advantage," Percy explained.
He is grateful for fellow clubmate Scott Pedersen because the pair work together to enable each other to get better and are always looking for ways to improve. Pedersen's father, Sel, also competes in the class.
Pedersen and Percy will compete at the national championships in January hosted by Wellington's Evans Bay club. While they are rivals in this class they combine as a crew in the Flying Fifteen class.
"You probably wouldn't get two more diverse classes at our level of racing. The Paper Tigers have two hulls and one sail and are sailed by one person. In the Flying Fifteens you have one hull and three sails and they are raced by two people," Percy said.
In January Percy and Pedersen finished second on countback at the Flying Fifteen Nationals in the Marlborough Sounds despite racing a 30-year-old boat. At last year's Napier-hosted world championships they finished sixth, the second best of the Kiwi crews and the best of the host club crews.
They hope to qualify for the Ireland-hosted world championships in September next year. To do this they must finish among the top-five crews at the Auckland-hosted nationals in February.
"I love travelling to the different regattas in the different classes. We camp in tents and have good weekends away," Percy said.
Pedersen has been competing against Percy for the past 10 years.
"Hayden has done really well during the last couple of years and you don't normally go to the top of the fleet in his first season in a new boat like he has just done."
Percy and Pedersen will tackle the North Island Flying Fifteen Championships in Auckland this weekend.
