The 36-year-old made light work of an elite field at the regatta at Takapuna Beach in New Zealand.

Ashby was in the top three in eight of nine races, including three victories.

He had a stranglehold on the title going into the final race and he cruised to second place behind fellow Aussie star Nathan Outteridge.

"This was a tough field, really classy. It was the toughest one I've had to win, but also the most enjoyable," Ashby told stuff.co.nz after his victory.

Ashby's remarkable sailing career has now netted him 15 world sailing titles across three divisions and an Olympic silver medal in Beijing in 2008.

A key member of Team New Zealand's America's Cup program, Ashby had little time to celebrate.

He was straight on a plane to Singapore to link up with the Team New Zealand crew.

Their next challenge is round one of the Extreme 40 series.

The international event is raced over eight rounds at different venues around the world.

Ashby is a two-time winner of the Bendigo Bank-backed Bendigo Advertiser-WIN Television Sports Star of the Year award.