Please select your home edition
Edition
Rolly Tasker Sails 2023 LEADERBOARD

National titles up for grabs on the last day of 2019 Youth Champs

by Australian Sailing 14 Jan 2019 09:32 AEDT 10-14 January 2019
2019 Australian Youth Championships 29ers © Beau Outteridge

Young gun Zac Littlewood may have conquered the world, but there was one title he was missing from his cabinet and he provisionally wrapped it up on the penultimate day of racing at the 2019 Australian Youth Championships presented by the Australian Maritime College today.

Zac has an 18 point lead in the Laser Radial class with one day left to sail on the Derwent River, and was elated to have one hand on the title that had eluded him despite being the current Laser Radial world champion. "I've never won a Laser Radial Youth Nationals" said Littlewood from the boat park at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. "I got the youth spot last year (youth world championships), but got fourth at youth nationals. It's a great step, and I'm looking forward to going back to the youth worlds in Poland this year and hope to tussle it out with the top guys again."

The event is the second and final qualifying event for youth sailors to represent Australia at the Youth World Championships in Gdynia, Poland in July this year.

In the girls division, Paige Caldecoat has overcome sickness to have an almost unassailable lead in the Laser Radials. She was able to find the right side when it mattered and now sits 9th overall in the class. "I did say in my game plan that I wanted to keep an eye on the ride, and I did and it worked and that's always nice" she said at the end of the day's racing.

The Bic Techno boards cut a stunning image as they glided across the Derwent in the shadows of Mount Wellington in their chase for a national youth title. In the Bic Techno Plus it is a race in two, as Queensland's Hamish Swain leads New South Wales' Grae Morris by six points after exchanging wins in the three races today.

In the 420 class Victorian twins Lily and Matilda Richardson look likely to add the girls National Youth title to the class national title they won at the same venue last week. After being the first girls team home in each of the three races today Matilda was quoted as saying "It was a little bit tricky on the water, we just tried to lengthen our gap between us and the next girls to take the pressure off for tomorrow".

It was a perfect day on the water for the 29er team of Archie Cropley and Max Paul from Middle Harbour Sailing Club, with their three bullets putting them in an almost unbeatable position coming in to the last day of racing. A national title has been a long-held dream for Paul, who said "It was a pretty good day today, pretty surreal that we wrapped it up with a day to go. I've been working a long long time for this, as this is my fifth youth nationals." The team are coached by five-time Australian Olympic head coach and Australian sailing legend Mike Fletcher and have been the form team of the season after also winning the class nationals last week.

In the girls 29er fleet, local team Alice Buchanan and Dervla Duggan from the Sandy Bay Sailing Club have continued their hot form and look set to be take the top step of the podium tomorrow. They hold a 39 point lead over the next girls team and sit 12th overall in the class.

It is going to be a huge last day in the Nacra 15 class, with just a couple of points separating the top teams. Mikael Lundh (Australian Sailing Nacra 15 coach at the Australian Youth Championships) commented on the quality of the event when he said "It's really close on points, so it's going to be an interesting battle tomorrow. The major contenders right now are Georgia Payne and Kai Colman from South of Perth Yacht Club who are 3 points ahead of Will Cooley and Bec Hancock and another 6 points to Ashley Swadling and Nathan Bryant".

Lundh noted the impact the conditions were having when he pointed out that Swadling and Bryant "had a bit of a capsize today, but it's a really close battle out there and the people behind are pushing hard. In the last race today we had five boats within five boat lengths at the top mark, so it was pretty interesting racing".

The racing will conclude tomorrow, with a new set of National Champions to be crowned and the full teams to represent Australia at the World Youth Championships to be announced at the presentation dinner hosted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

Full results can be found here.

Related Articles

Strong start on LA waters for Australian Sailors
A valuable week of racing at the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta Australia's top Olympic class sailors have wrapped up a valuable week of racing at the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta in California, gaining firsthand experience at the future venue of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Posted on 17 Jul
Australian sailors take to Olympic waters
Regatta serves as an important test, not just for sailors, but also for organisers The Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta is set to get begin, marking the first major combined event on the waters of the LA 2028 Olympic Games. Posted on 12 Jul
Tough conditions test Morris
As iQFOiL World Championships wrap up The iQFOiL World Championships have drawn to a close in Aarhus, Denmark, following a week of light and unpredictable wind that tested both race officials and athletes to the limit. Posted on 11 Jul
Grae Morris Takes on the iQFOiL Worlds
Shifty conditions on the first day in Aarhus, Denmark Aarhus, Denmark is serving up everything but predictability as the iQFOiL World Championships get under way, and Australian Olympic silver medallist Grae Morris is ready to assert his place at the top of the new Olympic cycle. Posted on 6 Jul
AST and B&G extend high-performing partnership
Continuing a collaboration that has been critical to the success of the team AST has announced the renewal of its long-term partnership with B&G, the world's leading sailing navigation and instrument specialists, continuing a collaboration that has been critical to the success of the team over the past eight years. Posted on 2 Jul
Australian Sailing welcomes new CEO
Malcolm Page OAM brings a wealth of experience to the role Australian Sailing is pleased to announce the appointment of respected sports administrator and dual Olympic gold medallist Malcolm Page OAM OLY as its new Chief Executive Officer. Posted on 1 Jul
Bronze breakthrough for Liddell and Brown
Nacra 17 duo claim their first international podium at Kieler Woche Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown have claimed their first international podium in the Nacra 17 class, securing bronze at Kieler Woche, the third Sailing Grand Slam event of the season. Posted on 30 Jun
Aussies Break into Top 10 at Kieler Woche
Put to the test from light air to heavy breeze The first half of Kieler Woche has wrapped up in Germany, with Australian sailors putting themselves to the test in five Olympic classes. Kiel delivered a complete spectrum of conditions for athletes to sharpen their racing skills. Posted on 26 Jun
Vale Hugh Treharne OAM
The Australian sailing community is mourning the passing of one of its greatest contributors The Australian sailing community is mourning the passing of one of its greatest contributors, Hugh Treharne OAM, who died peacefully surrounded by his loving family in Sydney last night. Posted on 25 Jun
Australian Sailors ready to tackle Kiel Week
The third event within the five event Sailing Grand Slam Australia's Olympic class sailors are set to tackle Kiel Week, the third event within the five event Sailing Grand Slam, held in the north of Germany. Posted on 21 Jun
Selden 2020 - FOOTERRolly Tasker Sails 2023 FOOTERX-Yachts X4.3