2026 Musto Australian Optimist Championship at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania - Day 1
by Jane Austin / RYCT Media 10 Jan 01:27 PST
9-15 January 2026
A group of Victorian Optimist sailors planning tactics with their on-water coaches - 2026 Musto Australian Optimist Dinghy Championship © Jane Austin
Tasmania's strong winds have kept 150 keen Optimist dinghy sailors ashore on Race Day One of the 2026 Musto Australian Optimist Dinghy Championship in Hobart.
Summer's typical weather volatility across Australia is also being felt in Tasmania, with several wind warnings impacting locals, including the Optimist fleet, with the River Derwent seeing breezes of over 18 knots and gusts to well over 40 knots.
The Race Committee made the call to cancel Green and Intermediate fleet sailing earlier in the day but was hopeful the Open fleet would get a chance to pit their skills against each other on the water by around 4pm after a three-hour postponement, but it was not to be.
The weather gods sent similarly frustrating conditions yesterday with the Optimist Championship Teams Racing cancelled due to a lack of breeze.
On a positive note, the forecast for the rest of regatta is looking reasonably good, if not a little light, which might not be the preferred conditions for some of the experienced Open Optimist sailors who like the heavier conditions.
Walter Heeley, from Woollahra Sailing Club (WSC) in New South Wales, is backing himself as a chance to win the Open championship in Hobart.
"I made the [Australian Optimist] Worlds Team last year and am hoping to do the same again, and maybe do a bit better as well.
"I'm excited about the sailing, it's a great Club [the RYCT] and it looks like a really nice race course," said Heeley.
Seb Tucker and Emerald Jacobsen, also from WSC, are all set for a big week of racing.
"I'm pretty excited, I think I have a pretty good chance, after being sick at the last two Nationals," said Tucker.
"I haven't checked the wind, but I hope it's going to be good... I like to just play it by ear," said Jacobsen.
Jacobsen is hoping for a breeze of around 15 knots which is her preferred wind speed for best results.
Jess Higgins from South Australia is feeling a little apprehensive about the event but is keen to get on the water to dust off some cobwebs and to put to the test what she knows about the River Derwent.
"I really want to sail well and get into Gold Fleet in the Open [division] and hopefully achieve top 20 or 30.
"Hopefully it will be pretty windy and flat water, not too choppy and not too light and shifty," said Higgins.
Australian International Optimist Dinghy Association President, Jeremey Atkinson, was hoping for better conditions today, but is keen for the rest of the week.
"Today was meant to be Day One of racing but the weather gods have conspired against us with consistent winds of 18 knots gusting to 40 knots just too much for Optimist dinghies to be out in," said Atkinson.
Sailors aged up to 15 years from almost all Australian states are represented in the fleet which will compete in the Open or Intermediate Fleets, or the Green Fleet for less experienced sailors.
"We've got sailors from all around the country here in Hobart.
"Our top sailors based on results leading into this regatta include Walter Heeley and Will Rogers from New South Wales, Nicholas Cooper from Western Australia, Toby Phillips from South Australia, George Pilkington from Tasmania, Reid Martin from Queensland and Acklin Stent from Victoria, they are our top contenders, but there's always surprises," said Atkinson.
The event will be used for selection of the 2026 Australian Optimist Sailing Team with the 2026 Optimist World Championship coming up in Morocco in June.
"There's always a couple of sailors that haven't necessarily been on the radar who get up and start challenging for selection spots when we get to the Nationals, so all eyes are on the Open Fleet sailors," said Atkinson.
Atkinson was particularly encouraging of new Green Fleet sailors contesting their first championship event, many from the host state of Tasmania.
"First of all, welcome to the event, but the main thing is to have fun.
"Green Fleet is about having fun with the old motto being 'smiling faces finishing races,' so it's all about going out, having fun, getting around the course, challenging themselves to get the upwinds okay, not get frustrated, meeting new friends from around the country, and just enjoying the regatta experience.
"The focus for Green Fleet is absolutely not on podium places," said Atkinson.
So, what's ahead for the sailors this week.
"The Green Fleet can do up to four short courses, 15 to 20 minutes each, in a day.
"The Intermediate Fleet is scheduled for two races per day on a full-size course, while the Open Fleet is scheduled for two races a day with up to 12 races over the six [or now five] days," said Atkinson.
There are 90 boats in the Open Fleet which will be split into two with a qualifying series and a final series.
The entry list also boasts sailors from New Zealand, New Caledonia and Hong Kong.
The Optimist dinghy is a one-design single sailor dinghy used globally for learn-to-sail programs and competitive racing, with many Olympic champions starting in Optis.
The events runs from the 9th to the 15th of January, 2026.
The event website is at ryct.org.au/2026-australian-optimist-dinghy-championship