Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Hot fleets for 2023 Australian ILCA Laser Championships

by Rod Thomas 1 Jan 2023 21:32 PST 3-8 January 2022
2022 Sail Sydney © Beau Outteridge

The Oceania & Australian Open & Youth ILCA Laser Championships will be the largest dinghy championships for an adult and youth class in Australia this summer. The championships are being sailed 3rd to 8th January at Georges River Sailing Club, Sydney, with two races scheduled per day on each of the six days.

There are 180 boats racing in three fleets ILCA 4, 6 and 7s (still know affectionately as Lasers). The fleets have sailors from all Australian States and territories together with a number of sailors from Pacific, Asian and European countries, with 13 countries in all represented.

In the largest rig ILCA7 fleet Australia's Matt Wearn, the Tokyo 2020 Laser gold medallist, is the defending champion from the last Australian championships held in Melbourne in 2020. He has been pushed hard by his Australian Laser squad members Luke Elliott and Zac Littlewood in major regattas overseas in 2022. This year the British and New Zealand international Laser squads are competing in the Australian championships and will provide stiff competition. Elliott Hanson from Great Britain finished 12th at Tokyo 2020, and Thomas Saunders from New Zealand was the 2021 World ILCA 7 champion.

The ILCA6 (previously Laser Radial) fleet is the largest with 83 boats. This will provide close racing between Australia's top female sailors, a number of overseas female sailors, and Australia's up and coming youth a number of whom travelled overseas to World Laser Youth championships in 2022. The Australian women's Laser squad of Mara Stransky, Elyse Ainsworth, Casey Imeneo, and Zoe Thomson come off a full program of International Regattas and overseas training camps in 2022. Mara Stransky finished 14th at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and is Australia's 2022 Female Sailor of the year. They will have top competition in Emma Plaschaert from Belgium who has twice been World Laser Radial champion and finished 4th at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The ILCA5 (previously Laser 4.7) fleet of 55 boats consists of youth under 17 years of age, most of whom have transitioned from junior classes such as Optimist, Open Skiff and Minnow classes, and will progress to ILCA6 and 7 fleets in the future. Close racing is expected from the stars of the future at the front of the fleet.

A new initiative being taken by the Australian Laser class association for 2023 is a 'Youth Solidarity' program. This program is designed to encourage clubs nationally to choose the ILCA 4 (Laser 4.7) for girls & boys transitioning from junior classes and is so doing provide the next generation of ILCA Laser sailors The initial launch is at the National championships, with the focus this year on female sailors. Each Australian Laser district (5 states + NT) has selected a young female sailor to compete at the Nationals. The selected sailors are receiving from ALCA:

free entry into the championship.; free ILCA 4.7 charter boat in race condition; Free squad coaching during the regatta.

Information, race documents and results on the 2023 Oceania and Australian ILCA Laser championships is being provided on the event web site on www.lasersdownunder.com.

Related Articles

2025 ILCA 6 Women's & ILCA 7 Men's Worlds Preview
The eyes of the sailing world will turn to Qingdao, China The eyes of the sailing world will turn to Qingdao, China, from 10-17 May 2025, as the city prepares to host the 2025 ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's World Championships. Posted on 4 May
22nd Budget Marine Antigua ILCA Open
17 sailors from Antigua, St Vincent and British Virgin Islands (BVI) compete Last Saturday and Sunday at Falmouth Harbour in Antigua was the 22nd Budget Marine Antigua ILCA Open. Organized by the Antigua Yacht Club, the event brought together 17 sailors from Antigua, St Vincent and British Virgin Islands (BVI). Posted on 28 Mar
2027 Performance Sailcraft ILCA Under-21 Worlds
Up to 200 sailors are expected to compete at Sandringham YC The International Laser Class Association has awarded the right to conduct the 2027 ILCA Under-21 World Championships to ILCAVic in Melbourne, Australia. Posted on 13 Mar
ILCA's Path to a Sustainable Future
As the world evolves, so must the Class The original innovative design and construction techniques of the ILCA dinghy have endured through the decades, with over 227,000 boats built, allowing us to race with the same boat our parents used when they were our age. Posted on 16 Feb
Increasing ILCA class female participation
The Australian ILCA class has continued to show growth The Australian ILCA class has continued to show growth in participation by females in the ILCAs, Australia's most popular single handed dinghy class, at the Oceania and Australian Open and Youth Championships sailed in early January. Posted on 21 Jan
2024 ILCA Under 21 Worlds overall
Ireland's Eve McMahon and Norway's Theodor Middelthon win the titles The ILCA U21 World Championship has come to a thrilling conclusion, marking the end of an intense week of competitive sailing in Viana do Castelo. Posted on 9 Jul 2024
2024 ILCA Under 21 Worlds Day 5
Ireland's Eve McMahon and Norway's Theodor Middelthon lead into the final day The second day of the final series saw very consistent sailing conditions, with the wind starting from 335 degrees at 12 knots and building up to 14 knots by the second race. Posted on 8 Jul 2024
2024 ILCA Under 21 Worlds Day 4
Eve McMahon retakes ILCA 6 lead in the strongest winds seen yet The 2024 ILCA Under 21 World Championship in Viana do Castelo saw stronger winds to mark the beginning of the final series. Posted on 7 Jul 2024
2024 ILCA Under 21 Worlds Day 3
Australia and Italy lead the fleets into the final series The 2024 ILCA Under 21 World Championship in Viana do Castelo has completed its third day of successful racing. Another day of near-perfect sailing conditions afforded the sailors opportunities to gain in the standings. Posted on 6 Jul 2024
2024 ILCA Under 21 Worlds Day 2
Australia's Evie Saunders takes the lead in ILCA 6 class The second day of racing is in the books for the 2024 ILCA Under 21 World Championship in Viana do Castelo, running from July 1st to 8th. Thursday was another gorgeous day for sailing, with warm and sunny conditions and a good breeze of around 13-15 kts. Posted on 5 Jul 2024
Palm Beach Motor YachtsSea Sure 2025Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025