With three years to go, Australian sailors take to Olympic waters

Elyse Ainsworth © Michael Blackburn

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. As the fourth stop on the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam calendar, the regatta serves as an important test, not just for sailors, but also for organisers and support teams just three years out from the Games.

"It feels really good to be in LA," said ILCA6 sailor Elyse Ainsworth. "We've had great training conditions, so far, it's been pretty windy most days, with a few light days. The regatta is shaping up to be a bit of a mixed bag of conditions, which is great preparation."

With limited opportunities to train and race in the expected Olympic weather window, every minute on the water counts. This event offers athletes a rare chance to familiarise themselves with the intricacies of the California coastline and begin building their Olympic knowledge base.

"It's really important to utilise our time here and start to get familiar with the conditions, especially now that the Olympic venue has officially been announced," shared Ainsworth. "We've also gotten to know the local community here, they've helped us out with housing and looking after us and involving us in the sailing community. It has been fantastic to be here early and really utilise their knowledge and their generosity for this camp and future camps."

Mara Stransky - photo © Michael Blackburn

Australian Sailing Team High Performance Director Iain Brambell is also on the ground, conducting reconnaissance following the official announcement of LA 2028's sailing venues: Long Beach for the Windsurfing and Kite events, and San Pedro (Port of Los Angeles) for the remaining Olympic classes.

"Getting on the ground and onto the racecourse in LA is a significant advantage particularly during the Games time window. This allows the coaches and athletes to start building out their knowledge of the conditions, while being on the ground makes their surroundings more familiar, which mitigates against any potential Games time distractions."

While the event doesn't feature Australian representatives in every class, the team has strategically chosen to focus on those with strong entry numbers to maximise competitive learning and venue intel. Brambell commented, "This is the key advantage of working as a National Squad, the knowledge gathered will be spread deep into the team to give the greatest chance of success come 2028."

The regatta will run from 12th through to 15th of July and Australia is strongly represented in the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7, with National squads taking on large international fleets. Brieana Whitehead will also be flying the flag in the Women's Formula Kite, lining up against a world-class field as she continues to build momentum through 2025.

Full list of entries here: www.longbeachocr.org/en/default/races/race-inscriptions

Zoe Thomson - photo © Michael Blackburn

Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Pathway Team (ASPT), Australian Sailing Futures (ASF) and other Australian (AUS) entered in the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta:

ILCA6 - 47 Entries

Elyse Ainsworth (AST)
Mara Stransky (AST)
Zoe Thomson (AST)
Sylvie Stannage (AUS)

ILCA7 - 53 Entries

Zac Littlewood (AST)
Ethan McAullay (ASPT)
Michael Compton (ASF)
Eddie Reid (ASF)
Isaac Schotte (ASF)

Formula Kite - Women - 20 Entries

Brieana Whitehead (AST)