2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championship in Hobart - Day 4
by Jane Austin / RYCT Media 6 Jan 03:34 PST
3-8 January 2026
Matt Wearn is overall leader in the ILCA 7 Fleet - 2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championship Day 4 © Jane Austin
Wearn rules River Derwent and it's Moving Day for the ILCA 6 Women
Australia's Matt Wearn has taken a commanding lead in the 2026 ILCA Oceania and Australian Open Championship in Hobart on Day Four of sailing, taking a lead of 16 points in the ILCA 7 Class, into the penultimate day of racing.
Wearn added another bullet to to his scoreline in the first race of the day and was second to fellow Australian Sailing Team member, Zac Littlewood, in the second, giving him a total of three points for the day, for a total of 12 points after a drop, while Littlewood is on 28 points.
But the scoreline doesn't reflect just how close some of the racing has been in Hobart, with the pressure up the front of the fleet intense.
"Matt Wearn has consolidated today - he's really kicked clear of the field.
"Zac Littlewood's moved up with great scores of a seven and a one, so he'll be really happy with the last race of the day.
"I'm pleased to say that Tasmania's Eddie Reid is holding his form, he did have a tenth in the first race today but came back strongly with a fourth and is on 41 points, only one point behind fifth place Finn Lynch from Ireland," said Principal Race Officer Dods.
Ethan McAullay is in third place also on 28 points, followed by the Dutch sailor Duko Bos in fourth place on 33 points.
It was a difficult day on the River Derwent at times today with the tricky westerly conditions proving a headache for race officers and sailors, especially in the latter part of the day, with the final race delayed while the race committee waited for the breeze to settle.
"We had some oscillations in the breeze, but it finally settled down to a west-south westerly again, with six to seven knots, with totally different conditions to the first race, which is what we want - we want a mixture of conditions throughout the regatta to really emphasise who is the best sailor and the most consistent sailor in the championship," said Dods.
Belgium's Emma Plasschaert has climbed into first place on the leaderboard in the ILCA 6 Gold Fleet with a first and second place today putting her on ten points, one point ahead of Hungary's Maria Erdi, who has been leading this Class most of the week.
Queensland's Mara Stransky has timed her run to the finals nicely and is starting to heap the pressure on Plasschaert and Erdi.
"Olympian Mara Stransky, from Queensland, is the big mover today with a net score of 25 points ahead of Thomson, also on 25 points," said Dods.
Thomson is one point clear of Sylvie Stannage on 26 points, with a further ten points back to Queensland's France Beebe on 36 points.
"We've also got Jasper Stay, the leading Under 19 Male, sneaking into the top ten now with a mixed bag today," said Dods.
Ava Wilson is leading the ILCA 6 Silver Fleet on 106 points, eight points ahead of Adelaide O'Donoghue and Raphael McLachlan, who are equal on 114 points.
Dods expects more movement at the station tomorrow with a second discard kicking in following Race Ten.
Callum Simmons was the hero in the ILCA 4 Gold Fleet today with the Victorian scoring a second and a fourth putting him on 16 points, and the leading Under 18 Male, with Queensland's Harry Hogan in second on 18 points.
Early leader, Thomas Cooper, is in third place on 23 points.
Tasmania's Ed Steedman had an inconsistent day with a third and an 18th to finish the day on 66 points.
Tasmania's Solidarity representative, Cordelia Davey, is having a fantastic time sailing in her first Australian Championship and is clearly taking lessons from Erdi and Plasschaert on the importance of consistency, with two top ten scores today (6,9) enough to move her up into 13th place in the 39-boat fleet.
Victoria's Maya Cantwell is leading the ILCA 4 Silver Fleet on 101 points, 11 points ahead of Zoe Heffernan on 112 points.
Racing gets under way at 1300 on the Alpha Course and 1330 on the Bravo course tomorrow.
For all full results, please go to sailingresults.net
For more information visit the event website.