The 2023 Oceania & Australian Laser Open & Youth Championships was sailed on Botany Bay from Georges River Sailing Club. These championships were completed on Sunday 8th January.

The 180-boat event was sailed in four fleets with three ILCA class rigs. There were 150 Australian and 30 international sailors from 12 countries competing.

Sailing was scheduled between 3rd and 8th January however on days 3 & 4 (5-6 January) with the wind at 27 gusting to 35 knots no sailing was possible . Two race per day were sailed on days 1 and 2 in very good conditions followed by three races on day 5 in testing 18-20 knot southerly winds while the final three races on day 6 were sailed in ideal 15 knot southerly conditions.

The 83 boat ILCA 6 gold fleet saw some great racing with the last race determining the top four places. These were contested between Tokyo 2020 Olympic Women’s ILCA Laser sailors from Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, and Australia. Emma Plaschaert from Belgium finished second in the final race to take a narrow win from Maud Jaynet (SUI) and Maria Erdi (HUN). Maria just pipped Queenslander Mara Stransky by a single point. Maria just pipped Queenslander Mara Stransky by a single point. Mara Stransky was the Australian Women’s Champion and the overall ILCA 6 Australian Champion. Casey Imeneo from Victoria topped some consistent results with two wins on the last day to finish fifth overall.

The under 19 ILCA 6 division was won by Australian Sailing Youth Sailor of the Year and silver medallist in the World Sailing Youth Championships Evie Saunders from Manly Yacht Club in NSW.

Cube Winners – Some of the Best ILCA 6 Sailors in the World – Photo by Jon West

The ILCA 7 fleet was hotly contested with four Australians, four from Great Britain and two from New Zealand finishing in the top ten.

In a drama packed final race Michael Beckett (GBR) needed to win to take the title after Australia’s Matt Wearn had some issues and was a DNF. Michael finished second and so Matt Wearn won his fifth Australian Laser/ILCA Championship on a close countback. Elliot Hanson (GBR) was third in front of popular WA sailor Swifto Elliott and leading Kiwi George Gautrey.

The leading youth sailors (under 21) was Stefan Elliott-Shircore from Western Australia.

The ILCA 4 (aka Laser 4.7) fleet of 55 boats consisted of up-and-coming youth sailors under 18 and under 16 years of age. The first three placegetters were young sailors from Victoria. Aidan Simmons and Angus McIntyre both won four of the ten heats, with Aidan the overall ILCA 4 champion by two points. Riley Cantwell finished third overall and was the under 16 junior ILCA 4 champion. It was pleasing to see 40% of the ILCA 4 fleet were women and the first woman Sara Bruce from DBSC and RSYS was 4th overall.

Based on strong performances particularly in the ILCA 4 fleet the Battens Trophy for the best performed State went to Victoria. Victoria showed the benefit of strong state training programs and racing in ILCA 4 and the feed in junior classes, in particular the Optimist class.

Victorious Victorian Team – Battens Trophy Winners –  Photo by Jon West

Full results can be found Here and on mobile devices using the free Australian Laser App under the National & District Events tab.

The next ILCA class National & Oceania Championship will be for masters sailors at Port Stephens, Australia on 10-13 March 2023 were nearly 200 boats are expected to compete.

The next Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championships will be at Adelaide Sailing Club 1-8 January 2024. There is a 4 minute promotion video for the 2024 Adelaide event and the following ILCA 7 and ILCA Masters World Championship events on YouTube Here.

Jon West has been braving the weather and his valuable equipment to capture some great action photos. You can view and purchase photos from the event Here.

Note that the photo albums are numbered from the Practice Race as Day 1.

Check Jon’s photos on Instagram Here

ILCA 4 Fleet Action – Photo by Jon West

Photo above by Jon West – Matt Wearn in great form at GRSC

After run of great weather including for the Practice Race and Race Days 1 & 2 Huey has turned on a nasty spell (5 & 6 January) of wet and excessively windy days so no safe, fair racing has been possible.

The women are dominating the ILCA 6s holding the top six places. With no racing on the third scheduled day of racing the ILCA 6 qualifying series is concluded and a drop is included to determine the split into the Gold and Silver fleets for the Final Series. Results for the Qualifying Series are Here.

There is just one point between the top four so it is all in play for once the weather allows the Final Series to proceed.

In the ILCA 7s team GBR has four of the top six places however Olympic Champion Matt Wearn is three points clear at the top. Racing has been very close and the series is still wide open. Results to Race 4 in the ILCA 7s are Here.

In the 55 boat ILCA 4 fleet Team Victoria of Aidan Simmons, Angus McIntyre and Riley Cantwell is dominating taking pretty much all the podium places in each race. Full results are Here. 

The Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championships get underway 1-8 January at Georges River Sailing Club. There will be practice race on 2 January with the more serious business starting on 3 January with two races per day over six days.

There will be a hot fleet of 180 boats racing in four fleets in ILCA 4, 6 and 7s. The Australian Sailing Team and top level sailors from all Australian states and territories will compete along with sailors from the Pacific, Asia and Europe. 13 countries in all will be represented. Late entries can still be placed.

The event web site https://www.auslasernationals.com.au/ will have information, race documents and results. Otherwise the series can be followed using the Australian Laser App which is a free download from the App Store and Play Store at the links below.

iOS Apple App Store           Android Google Play Store

Links to event information & documents are below.

Notice of Race

Event Program

Late Entry ($430 including late entry fee)

Measurement Arrangements

Measurement Booking

Coach Boat Information

Coach Boat Registration

Sailing Instructions

Club & Venue Information

Results

Welcome Message

Honour Roll – Past Winners

The young sailors listed below have been selected to represent their state ILCA district as a Youth Solidarity entrant in the Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championship 2023 at Georges River Sailing Club, Botany Bay, NSW.

We look forward to seeing them all on January 1st , 2023 at GRSC. They will be presented with their team merchandise, allocated a charter boat & will meet their regatta coach.

There is more information on this the origins and aims of this program in the press release Here.

35 sailors enjoyed great conditions at Double Bay Sailing Club on Saturday 3 December for the Women’s Regatta.

It wasn’t all about racing however there were some competitive sailors and some ILCA 4s and 6s on the water so some racing was a natural part. The racing results are Here.

There is more on this event on the DBSC site Here.

Jon West was on the water to cover the event. His photos can be seen and purchased from his web site Here.

The normal entry for the Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championships Here has been extended for one week to midnight on 7th December. After this time entry may be available with an additional $80 late fee.

There is a great line up of local and international sailors entered for the event which you can see by clicking through the entry link.

Olympic Gold Medalist Matt Wearn will be competing

Entries will be closing for the Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championships on 30th November.

The event will be held 1-8 January at Georges River Sailing Club. Sailors are looking forward to finally being able to compete in this event which, thanks to COVID has not been possible for the past two years.

There is a growing list on entries including elite & Olympic level international and top local sailors.

This event is the qualifying event for Australian sailors for all 2023 ILCA World Open and Youth Championships.

After 30th November entry may be possible with an $80 additional late entry fee.

There are links below for NoR, Entry and if you need one for boat charters.

• Notice of Race
• Enter Here
• Boat Charters NB Sailsports and Performance Sailcraft Australia

The State Championships were held at Wangi ASC on 19 November. There were 127 entries from Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland as well as NSW & ACT. Some great racing was enjoyed by all on Saturday. On Sunday a nasty westerly blew over the course with gusts over 40 knots which prevented any safe and fair racing.

On Saturday three races were completed in 15 knot NE breeze – ideal Lasering conditions. With no drop consistency was the key to success and the results were quite close in all rigs and age divisions.

The final results series are Here

Lots of great action photos by Jon West are on his web site Here.

ILCA 7 and 6 Winners Campbell Patton & Sylvie Stannage on the move at Wangi – Photos Jon West

The 2022 Australian Sailing Awards – which recognised and celebrated distinguished members of the Australian Sailing community – took place on Friday 4th November at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Evie Saunders was announced as Youth Sailor of the Year.

In presenting her this award, Australian Sailing said, “Evie Saunders is an up-and-coming ILCA 6 sailor with a proven track record amongst world class fleets. She set herself apart this season by securing the silver medal at the ISAF Youth World Championships at The Hague, making her the first Australian girl in 14 years to medal in the Laser class at the Youth World Championships.”

Australian ILCA 6 Olympian Mara Stransky who is currently third in the ILCA 6 World Rankings won Female Sailor of the Year.

Leading up to her win Mara has had a great year winning the prestigious Kiel Week Regatta along with top-10 finishes at the World Championships, Hyeres Olympic Week and Allianz World Cup Almere regattas.

Daniel Costandi on the move at GRSC 2021 States – Photo Jon West

The State Championships are coming up 19-20 November at WASC Wangi on Lake Macquarie. Because of the Nationals being held at Georges River (1-8 January 2023), the World Masters Pattaya Thailand (8-16 February) and the National Masters Port Stephens (10-13 March 2023) this event is combined for Open Youth and Masters sailors with cubes awarded in all categories.

The NoR is Here. The Sailing Instructions are Here.  You can enter online Here or up until 11.30 am on 19 November at WASC.

Arrival and venue information for Wangi is Here.

WASC is a great club and have run this event very successfully for us in 2016.

The AGM of the NSW & ACT Laser Association was held in the club house at Wangi Amateur Sailing Club on Sunday 20th November.

The Meeting agenda, minutes and reports from the meeting are Here.

This week is the last chance to register for the early bird ticket for The Women’s Regatta which will be held on Saturday 3 December 2022 at Double Bay Sailing Club.

Entry fee until Sat 4 Nov is $60 (adults) / $40 (students & U18) which includes yoga, breakfast, workshops, racing, and cocktail reception.
Entry fee from 5 Nov – 2 Dec is $90 (adults) / $70 (students & U18).

Please note: entries will not be accepted after 5pm on 2 December.

NOR available for download from thewomensregatta.com.au

You can enter Here.

The one day event is open to women sailors around Australia. It will include races on Sydney Harbour, great food, entertainment, and activities aimed at women of all ages who currently sail an ILCA / Laser dinghy, or are looking to return to racing.

Double Bay Sailing Club will also run a series of small-group training clinics in the weeks leading up to the event, focusing on improving sailing skills such as race starts, upwind technique, and downwind technique.

For more information go to the Double Bay sailing Club web site page Here.

52 sailors enjoyed the sunshine at Sunshine over the weekend 15-16 October at the Coast Championships sailed from South Lake Macquarie ASC.

Race Officer Andrew McLachlan managed to get all six scheduled races competed for each of the three fleets.in 7-12 knot dominantly, but variable, easterly winds which prevailed each day. Racing concluded very close to cut off time of 1530 on Sunday as the fleets were AP’ed ashore until the light sea breeze stabilised.

Racing in the largest ILCA 7 fleet  was really close in all races, as were the final results. Will Sargent who hails from Sandy Bay YC and Derwent Sailing Squadron in Tasmania  posted two wins and two seconds was the ultimate winner by one point from 2021 runner up in NSW & ACT State Championships Daniel Costandi from GRSC and DBSC. A further one point away was 2019 NSW & ACT State Champion Campbell making a welcome return from his sometimes home Bermuda.  There was a big contingent of Masters in the ILCA 7s won by Nick Alexander from MHASC.

The Radials were dominated by Brooke Wilson RSYS/DBSC. Brooke won four of the races and had a second and third. Martin White DBSC/WSC had an very consistent series posting three second place finishes and two thirds. Third in the Radials was Grand Master Bruce Paine from Canberra YC.

Healy Ryan HHSC/DBSC proved too good in the strongly contested 4.7 fleet winning four of the races and the series from Miles Greenwood GSC sailing in his first season in the 4.7.  Benjamin Costandi GRSC/RSYS/DBSC was a close third counting a win and two seconds in his consistent placings.

The full results are Here

Thanks to SLMASC who did a grand job hosting this event for us. It is a great club well located with lots of parking rigging and one of the few venues where if you choose you can camp on site for a regatta. Thanks also to our RO Andrew McLachlan for his efficient management of the racing.

a There are lots of photos of the event on Jon West’s web site at https://jonwest.photography/2022-nsw-act-ilca-coast-championships.

Evie Saunders in Action on Galveston Bay in ILCA 6 Women’s Worlds – ILCA Photo

The Women’s ILCA 6 World Championships have just concluded at the Texas Corinthian Yacht Club sailed on Galveston Bay. There were 86 entries from 40 countries.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Anne-Marie Rindom from Denmark took out the Championships by a commanding 20 points. The Silver was won with a strong series finish by Swiss sailor Maud Jayet two points ahead of the 2021 World Champion Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert.

Five of the six Australian team finished in the Gold Fleet a very strong performance. Mara Stransky was the best-placed Australian in 13th place with Zoe Thompson 18th, Casey Imeneo 21st, Elyse Ainsworth 26th, Evie Saunders 41st and Sylvie Stannage 49th.

Full results are Here.

Australian Sailing High-Performance Director Michael Blackburn said of the team’s performance “The Aussie ILCA 6 squad have taken on a big program to gain experience in tough fleets – experience is key and this fleet had in it all the 2020 Olympic medallists, along with all World Champions since 2011.”

Next for the group is the European Championships in Hyeres, France where ILCA 6 where co-coach Carolijn Brouwer is hopeful of continued improvement and personal best results.