Sunny skies made for an inviting start to the Youth Championships, with more than 245 sailors from all but one of Australia’s states and territories taking to the water for the regatta portion of the 2024 Zhik Youth Sail New South Wales event.
Teralba Amateur Sailing Club hosted this year's event from Wednesday 2 to Monday 7 October, with local sailors Louis Tilly (RPAYC) taking 1st in the WASZP class and Maya Hodzic (MYC) winning 1st place in the Open Skiff Gold while Ameila Wilson (BYRA) won her way into the 3rd spot in the relatively new iQFOil Youth 8m class.
Will Troop (RPAYC) also did well in the WASZP while Ollie Ross and Belle Holdsworth, also Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club sailors, represented well in the WASZP fleet, while Darcy Miles (RPAYC) finished in a strong 9th overall in the Optimist Open from a fleet of 72 competitors.
The Coaching Clinic, held before the regatta commenced, was conducted by some inspiring sailors. One of an impressive sixteen coaches in attendance, Paris Olympian Jim Colley is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the next generation, stating the event has been an exciting promise of what the future of sailing looks like in Australia.
“It’s been a fantastic event so far - there are so many sailors in so many classes at this event, the most I’ve seen in New South Wales for a long time, so it’s been really exciting,” said Colley.
“It’s awesome to see so many young sailors just frothing the sport and that they get to go sailing so much. They’ve been so excited to go out there, learn and hone their craft. All the sailors have been super receptive and I think we’ve made some pretty big gains over a short period of time.
Having taken part in this exact event as a young sailor himself, Colley knows the importance of bringing the up-and-coming community together.
“I think I probably did six or seven of these events myself as a kid between Opti’s and 29ers and it definitely made a difference to my development.
“The opportunity to go sailing somewhere you’re not used to sailing is hugely important and meeting and racing against so many new people really allows you to develop a whole range of different skills.
“Without events like this one, I would never have been able to go to the Olympics.
“I think it’s so important that we’re able to pass on what we’ve learned, so to come back and support the next generation has been an opportunity I’m grateful for,” he said.
For Haylee Outteridge, NSW Performance Pathways Manager, the event is a great opportunity for sailors and coaches alike.
“The NSW Coaching Clinic is a really great opportunity for all the sailors to come together, get to know each other and develop in a nice, safe training environment with coaches from all around Australia,” said Outteridge.
“We have a really diverse group of coaches here this year, all from various backgrounds.
“Getting the coaches together and providing an environment where they can learn and troubleshoot together is really valuable. In sailing, you often coach on your own a lot, in isolation, so these opportunities are quite important to make the most of.
“I hope the kids can leave this event with fun memories and a host of new friendships. If they can leave inspired and with a love for the sport, then we’ve done our job.”
The three-day Coaching Clinic provide high-level and tailored mentoring to hundreds of sailors.
All 12 classes took to the water on what was a windy yet enjoyable Day One, October 6, with the strong and gusty north-westerly softening as the day progressed.
For Amelia Wilson (Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron/Bayview Yacht Racing Association) and the rest of the iQFOil fleet, the challenges caused by the wind were not enough to diminish their enjoyment.
“We all got here expecting a big day of around 25 knots but by the time we got out there the wind was only recording about six,” she said.
“We ended up doing four Slalom races with a huge break in the middle waiting for the wind to come in. It was a bit of a trying day, very on and off and all about playing the gusts.
“I had lots of fun out there, racing against the boys and seeing my pace against their downwinds, especially considering they’re a bit heavier than me, so I had a great time.”
Amelia was looking forward to the remainder of the regatta.
“I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow, it’s meant to be windy and I’m keen to test out my skills, especially my new up-winds.
“My overall goal is to get as close to the boys as possible, especially in the down-winds, cause obviously speed is a huge thing in the iQFOil,” she said.
In the 13ft Skiff class, skipper Cooper Lowe and crew Max Barrett (Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Sailing Club) are currently in second, just one point behind first.
“The first day brought with it shifty conditions but we did pretty well and came away with two seconds and a third,” said Barrett.
“We got a couple of good kite runs but most of the time it was pretty light - it was a really good day.
“Our goal for this event is to really get a grip of this boat. Results are results and we’ll be happy wherever we place as long as we feel we understand the boat a bit better.
“We’ve spent the last three days getting better at the coaching clinic and we’re keen to learn as much as we can over the next few days, we really want to get a feel for the boat,” he said.
On what was another beautiful day on Lake Macquarie, champions were crowned after three days of racing at the 2024 NSW Youth Championships.
In the ILCA 6 class, Australian Sailing Futures athlete Sylvie Stannage (Hunters Hill Sailing Club) finished atop the podium after a consistent campaign that saw her win seven of nine races.
“We had a huge mix of conditions over the course of the regatta, from strong winds to really light periods, so that made things interesting,” said Stannage.
“We had some challenging racing too which was fun. There were a few occasions where people at the front were overtaken by people towards the back, so you had to be looking around the whole time.
“I always have fun at these events, especially when the wind gets up. I’m working on my skills in shifty conditions at the moment, so it has been fantastic to be here, this regatta has been really helpful.
“It’s been fantastic having so many fantastic young sailors here. I think I’m the oldest sailor in the fleet and it’s so inspiring to see the younger ones coming through so quickly,” she said.
In the 29er class, Lucy Ferguson and Isabella Armitstead (Woollahra Sailing Club) finished on top of the podium after a strong showing.
“We did really well and had a lot of fun, it has been a great regatta for us,” said Ferguson.
“Our fleet was quite small but it was very competitive, so that was probably our favourite thing about the event.”
Flying 11 pair Sophie Drummond and Harriet Skelton (Belmont 16ft Skiff Club) finished atop the podium in a class of 24 boats.
“We went pretty well, ended up winning overall which was awesome,” said Drummon.
The whole regatta was really good, there was really good racing and we had lots of fun,” she said.
For more information on the event or full results, click here.
Report and photos: Sailing NSW/Sailing Australia
