With his father being a commercial fisherman and the family living on a yacht following his father’s trawler from port to port, Gavin Brady literally grew up on the sea. As a youngster he made headlines and earned a certificate from the Prime Minister by sailing his P-Class dinghy more than 30km across the notoriously stormy Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand's North and South Islands; a feat that has never been repeated. In 1990, he joined the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's Youth Programme, coached by Harold Bennett, now one of the America's Cup Race Officers. For the Atalanti Racing Team, he competed at the Key West Race Week, with the Mumm 36.
