Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

2023 QLD ILCA State Titles at Humpybong Yacht Club

by Rod Smith & Kate Baisden 4 May 2023 22:57 AEST 29-30 April 2023
2023 QLD ILCA State Titles © Mark Dawson

History was made over the weekend as 100 ILCA (formerly Laser) dinghies assembled at Bramble Bay's Humpybong Yacht Club to contest the 2023 QLD ILCA State Titles.

This record-breaking fleet was the biggest ever in the history of the class in QLD. There were 28 ILCA 4s, 46 ILCA 6s and 26 ILCA 7s competing.

The weather gods were in fickle mode across the weekend as conditions recovered from a week of very strong winds, leaving the race area with a light and shifty weather pattern. Skippers were tested by the deceptively strong tidal flows across Bramble Bay, with many being caught out and underlaying the top mark. This contributed to even more congestion than is usual in highly competitive ILCA fleets.

Fortunately, the courses were expertly laid by the experienced race officials, and all competitors enjoyed solid reaches in addition to windwards and multi-gybe runs. Saturday's racing saw three heats completed in tricky 3-8 knot conditions. Sunday featured all competitors drifting hopefully around the start area from 11 am until 3.30 pm as the Race Committee chased the dying westerly breeze and set consecutive course variations but were forced to abandon the day's racing. This meant competitors had to count all three Saturday races with no drop.

A healthy indicator of the class's continuing popularity was the size of the Junior fleet in the smallest sail area, ILCA 4 division. Henry Piggott scored a 'picket fence' with a first in every race to win the event. Ruby Carter, who achieved 10th overall, scored a 3rd in race 1 after only sailing an ILCA for 3 weeks. Ruby had never even been on a start line of any kind so coming away with a 3rd in her first ever ILCA race was a superb result. Another notable effort was made by Jeremy Liu, who sailed the series with a broken finger in a cast following a training accident during the prior weekend.

In the hotly contested ILCA 6 fleet youngsters Ben Franklin and Travis Wadley fought for top honours, but were closely followed by GM Darryl Beattie, top coach Kate Baisden and GGM sailor Michael Pitt. The strong 46 boat fleet showed a remarkable depth of talent featuring top state, national, world and previous Olympic level competitors.

The ILCA 7s saw U21 and Open sailors Daniel Costandi, Isaac Shotte and Alexander Bijkerk in the podium places, but again Masters experience and cunning was not far behind as Andrew Stransky, father of ILCA 6 Australian Olympian Mara Stransky, came home in 4th.

Overall the regatta was a resounding success, with the record breaking 100 boat fleet showing the ILCA class in QLD continues to attract participation and talent across all age groups.

Related Articles

ILCA Announcement
Protecting the one-design integrity of the class ILCA's mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class's success. Posted on 21 Sep
Formia to Host 450+ Sailors for ILCA Master Worlds
Sailors from 31 nations have arrived in Italy The 2025 ILCA Master World Championships officially kicked off today in Formia, Italy. This year's event has drawn over 450 sailors from 31 nations, making it one of the largest gatherings of the ILCA Master community worldwide. Posted on 19 Sep
2025 EurILCA Europa Cup HUN
A record-breaking 177 competitors from 16 countries The 2025 EurILCA Europa Cup HUN in Balatonfüred featured a record-breaking 177 competitors from 16 countries, including Olympians and top sailors. Posted on 16 Sep
Laser Wars: Australian builder rejects ultimatum
Performance SailCraft Australia claims boats to the new moulds will be shorter than current ILCAs Performance SailCraft Australia (PSA) claims boats to the new moulds will be shorter than the current class. Posted on 31 Aug
2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds at Dún Laoghaire overall
Breezy final day crowns three champions on Dublin Bay The weather co-operated once again on Dublin Bay to deliver a nail-biting conclusion to the 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championships today, where three new world titles were decided at the end of a full 12-race programme. Posted on 30 Aug
Major ILCA builder loses Builder Approval
Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) is no longer an ILCA-approved Builder The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) has announced that Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) is no longer an ILCA-approved Builder under the ILCA Class Rules. The Class Assoc has not given any specific reason for its withdrawal. Posted on 30 Aug
2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds at Dún Laoghaire Day 5
Penultimate day brings pressure to leaderboards Despite further tricky conditions with the offshore breeze on Dublin Bay today, racing got off to a smooth start though there were plenty of upsets in both the ILCA 6 Women and ILCA 7 Men's events, leaving just two races on Friday to secure best outcomes. Posted on 28 Aug
2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds at Dún Laoghaire Day 4
Gold fleet compresses while wind still rules the waves On the first day of Gold fleet racing for the Men's event at the 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championships today, the leaderboard tightened significantly, while in the Women's event a clear leader extended her advantage. Posted on 28 Aug
2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds at Dún Laoghaire Day 3
Tough third day as the event reaches halfway stage The switch of wind direction to offshore brought new challenges to both the Race Committee and the 212 sailors from 38 nations competing today, where the full race schedule was completed, bringing the event to the halfway stage. Posted on 26 Aug
2025 ILCA Under-21 Worlds at Dún Laoghaire Day 2
Fast and furious conditions on Dublin Bay Dublin Bay delivered a full test of stamina and skill on day two of the 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championships, with some clear leaders beginning to emerge. Posted on 25 Aug
Sydney International On-Water Boat Show 2025Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeAllen Sailing