Strong start on LA waters for Australian Sailors

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.

Australian Sailing Team, Technical Director Michael Blackburn highlighted the strategic value of the event, "It was a good week for the team," said Blackburn. "Learning a lot about the venue and the way the wind typically behaves with the breeze tending to fill in later in the day, which changes how we prepare and approach each day."

The regatta featured international fleets across the Olympic classes, and Australian athletes took full advantage of the chance to test their racing and decision-making in unfamiliar, and at times tricky conditions.

West-Australian Ethan McAullay delivered the top Australian result in the ILCA7, finishing with a strong sixth place in a fleet of 52 boats. Zac Littlewood followed in 16th, while up and coming Futures squad athletes Eddie Reid, Isaac Schotte, and Michael Compton showed their progress, placing 21st, 23rd, and 26th respectively.

Zoe Thomson at the 2025 Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta - photo © Simone Staff

In the ILCA6, the National squad continued to show strong depth with three athletes finishing inside the top 15, Paris 2024 Olympian Zoe Thomson led the charge with a seventh-place overall finish with Tokyo Olympian Mara Stransky following closely behind in 11th, while Elyse Ainsworth claimed 14th.

Twenty-five-year-old Breiana Whitehead finished 10th overall in the Formula Kite Women's class, testing wind on the flat water fast-paced foiling kite course inside the Long Beach Breakwater.

"In terms of the racing here this week, some light conditions challenged our sailors, as they were getting used to the necessary strategic thinking at this venue," Blackburn observed. "They weren't making the best decisions all the time but certainly we're gaining a lot of information about how the wind behaves which is going to be really useful in future years."

For Blackburn and the broader team, the week wasn't just about the racing, "This was a chance to not only compete, but also do some valuable reconnaissance around the venue, understanding how the shore site might operate, how logistics could be managed between split locations, and starting to visualise our Olympic campaign environment," he said.

Waiting for wind at the 2025 Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta - photo © Michael Blackburn

While there were no podium finishes this time around, the experience gained was invaluable. The Australian Sailing Team leaves Long Beach better informed, better prepared, and one step closer to building a successful campaign toward LA 2028.

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

ILCA6 - 44 Entries
7th - Zoe Thomson (AST)
11th - Mara Stransky (AST)
14th - Elyse Ainsworth (AST)
24th - Sylvie Stannage (AUS)

ILCA7 - 52 Entries
6th - Ethan McAullay (ASPT)
16th - Zac Littlewood (AST)
21st - Eddie Reid (ASF)
23rd - Isaac Schotte (ASF)
26th - Michael Compton (ASF)

Formula Kite - Women - 19 Entries
10th - Breiana Whitehead (AST)

Full results here.