Olympians and World Champions in super-sized sailing fleets on River Derwent in January
by Jane Austin / RYCT 19 Nov 2025 22:19 PST
January 2026
Australian two-time ILCA Olympic gold medalist Matt Wearn © Sailing Energy
Sailing royalty and rising stars gathered in Sandy Bay today for the official announcement that the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania (RYCT) has secured the rights to host three prestigious sailing regattas in January 2026.
RYCT Commodore Nick Hutton announced that the Club has been selected to host:
- The 2026 Oceania and Australian ILCA Open and Youth Championship (1-8 January)
- The 2026 Musto Australian Optimist Dinghy Championship (9-16 January)
- The 2026 Derwent Ferry Co. Australasian Prince Philip Cup for the International Dragon Class (21-28 January)
Close to 500 international national and local sailors (including Olympians and a gold medalist), and their families will make Hobart their home over January with the events providing yet another sailing-inspired boost to the local economy.
Joining Commodore Hutton was the Honourable Jane Howlett MP, Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events, who announced $40,000 in Tasmanian Government support for the events.
The events come off the back of the large influx of sailors and tourists expected into Hobart for the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race celebrations, with the RYCT a longstanding partner of the CYCA for the iconic race.
Commodore Hutton is looking forward to showcasing the River Derwent and the Club's enviable reputation for professional race management while providing local fans with more opportunities to see world-class sailing events first hand.
"We are really excited about hosting the Australian Championships in January.
"The ILCA nationals is the most prestigious dinghy regatta in Australia each year and the Optimist regatta is the biggest junior event in the country by some margin.
"The Prince Philip Cup has a long and storied history, with RYCT members winning the Cup on a number of occasions, some multiple times.
"Our army of highly-qualified and experience volunteers can't wait to get started," said Hutton.
Attending the launch were Optimist sailor Cameron Underwood, ILCA 7 sailor Nick Jones, Prince Philip Cup and world champion International Dragon sailor, Nick Rogers, who are deep in their preparations for the events.
"It's going to be a tough regatta, especially sailing against someone like Matt Wearn, but somebody's got to beat him," said an ambitious Jones.
The 2026 ILCA Championship will also include Australian Sailing National Solidary Program sailors including Tasmania's Cordelia Davey and coach, Indy Cooper.
Excitement is building amongst ILCA sailors with dual Australian Olympic gold medalist and world champion Matt Wearn adding the Hobart-based championship to his 2028 LA Olympics sailing campaign.
The event has already attracted high-profile international male sailors including the UK-based sailing sensation Jon Emmett who is the current ILCA 7 World Master's Champion, Ireland's dual Olympian Finn Lynch, and Duko Bos from the Netherlands, who will all be taking on Wearn, current Australian champion Zac Littlewood and Ethan McAullay.
In the women's ILCA 6 Division, the UK's Matilda Nichols and Belgium's Emma Plasschaert will be taking up the challenge to Australian Olympians Mara Stransky and Zoe Thomson, and Australian Sailing athletes Elyse Ainsworth and Evie Saunders.
Tasmanian ILCA President Ed Fader said the event has community support and he believes the decision to grant Tasmania and the RYCT the right to host the ILCA event is the result of a lot of hard work.
"In conjunction with the RYCT, we have been working energetically over the past 18 months to organise the 2026 Oceania and Australian ILCA Open and Youth Championships.
"On behalf of the organising committee, I'd like to thank all of the sponsors, supporters and volunteers that have come onboard to support this exciting event.
"With entries coming in from around the world in both the female and male divisions, including World and Olympic champions, the racing will give our local sailors the chance to race against and learn from the best.
"This will be an extremely exciting event for our local sailors to be on the race course alongside some of their sailing heroes," said Fader, whose son Tom, a Tasmanian Institute of Sport athlete, will be on the ILCA start line.
Tasmanian International Dragon Association Secretary/Treasurer, David Vaudrey said excitement is building for the 2026 Prince Philip Cup with a naming rights sponsor, Derwent Ferry Company, onboard for the event.
"Tasmania is traditionally one of the strongest regional fleets in Australia, with at least two world champions rising from our ranks.
"We will have five previous Prince Philip Cup winners in the fleet including Tasmania's world champion Nick Rogers, who will be vying for his 15th championship title," said Vaudrey.
Rogers has never been beaten in previous Prince Philip Cups held on the River Derwent.
"We are expecting British expat Rob Campbell from Western Australia and Peter Crane from New South Wales to provide tough competition for Nick [Rogers] while Sandy Anderson, Australia's leading woman helm, and also a previous Prince Philip Cup winner, is also expected to compete," said Vaudrey.
The 2026 Musto Australian Optimist Championship will bring together the nation's best young sailors and will welcome competitors from Hong Kong, New Caledonia, and New Zealand for a week of world-class racing on the River Derwent with an expected fleet of 150 sailors.
This premier event, presented by Musto and the Australian International Optimist Dinghy Association will feature racing across Open, Intermediate, and Green Fleet divisions, showcasing the depth of talent in Australian and international junior sailing.
The Championship also serves as the sole selection event for the 2026 Australian Optimist Sailing Team and Australian Optimist Development Squad.
Tasmanian International Optimist Dinghy Association President Matthew Pilkington said excitement is high for the January regatta.
"We are thrilled to welcome sailors from across Australia and overseas to Hobart for this prestigious event.
"The River Derwent offers exceptional sailing conditions, and we look forward to an unforgettable week of racing and camaraderie," said Pilkington.
Australian Sailing (Tasmania) General Manager, Felicity Allison congratulated the RYCT and acknowledged the sailing diversity on offer in the state.
"Australian Sailing is always excited to have numerous events held over the summer that show the diverse types of boats that can be sailed, starting with the Optimist for junior sailors, the ILCA for our youth and then moving into the larger keelboats like the Dragon Class.
"Having these three major events in Tasmania at the RYCT is going to be a great opportunity to view sailing at its best," said Allison.
For more information on the three championship events, or to enter the regattas, go to: ryct.org.au/on-water