32nd Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship - Day 1
by RPAYC 12 Nov 01:46 PST
11–15 November 2026
James Hayhoe and his Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron team lead the 2026 HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship after an unbeaten opening day on Pittwater, ahead of Ethan Fong and Louis Tilly.
Hosted by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC), Thursday's racing delivered eight flights and 32 matches in Round Robin 1. Ten teams from Australia and New Zealand are competing in the club's Elliott 7 keelboats, with percentage scores determining the day's order as teams sailed either six or seven matches.
After the morning's briefing, Race Director Nick Elliott said, "Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club is again delighted to be hosting the 2026 HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship here at RPAYC.
This championship has a fantastic history of bringing together talented young match racers, and we're excited to welcome another great fleet of teams this year.
Match racing is an incredibly exciting format of sailing. It's fast-paced, tactical and puts a real emphasis on teamwork, boat handling and decision-making.
We're looking forward to seeing these young sailors put their skills to the test over the coming days, with some fantastic racing ahead on Pittwater.
I'd like to thank HARKEN, our event partners, officials and volunteers for their support in making this championship possible.
Best of luck to all the competitors. We look forward to a fantastic week of racing!"
Crews headed out in a south-southeasterly breeze reported at 10-14 knots. Following Wednesday's practice sessions, Thursday marked the first opportunity to put points on the board in the contest for the Rockin' Robin Perpetual Trophy.
Hayhoe won all six of his matches, including his encounter with RPAYC's Daniel Kemp; he set the opening-day benchmark with the fleet's only unbeaten record.
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's Fong finished with six wins from seven matches for 86%. Runner-up at the 2025 HARKEN championship. His only loss came against fellow RNZYS skipper Robbie Wooldridge.
Tilly led the home-club challenge with five wins from six matches for 83%, including a win over Kemp. The newly crowned Australian Youth Match Racing champion is racing with Heidi Bates, William Troop, Oliver Ross and William Hough. Fong inflicted his only defeat.
Kemp recorded four wins from six matches for 67%, matching Wooldridge's win percentage. With Round Robin 1 still to be completed, the remaining matches offer further opportunities for teams to improve their positions.
For HARKEN newcomers Sophie Hart and Ash Napper, Day 1 delivered valuable lessons in pre-start positioning, boat handling and communication. Hart finished the day with two wins from seven matches, while Napper recorded his first win from seven. Racing against experienced Australian and New Zealand teams gave both RPAYC skippers and their crews opportunities to strengthen their teamwork and decision-making under pressure, providing practical lessons to take into the remaining round-robin matches.
Race Officer Ted Anderson commented: "Today's racing was absolutely brilliant. The breeze was all over the place, but it kept coming back to the middle. We had some competitive racing with a few protests along the way, but that's not an issue. That's what it's all about!"
Chief Umpire Katie Maxim added: "I think the sailing was really good today. Aside from a couple of protests and some contact that could have been avoided, it was a great day of racing.
"My advice for tomorrow is to remember that these are borrowed boats. You don't need to make contact with each other to get a penalty!"
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's Massimo Henderson finished on 50%, while Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Heidi Ferguson recorded 17% and Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club's Angus Cameron yet to win.
RPAYC thanks naming rights sponsor Harken Australia for its continued support of youth match racing, together with the race management team, umpires and volunteers whose work on and off the water makes the championship possible.
Racing continues tomorrow, Friday 13 November, at 10:00 am AEDT on Pittwater. Hayhoe will look to extend his unbeaten run, while Fong, Tilly and the rest of the fleet return for the next stage of Round Robin 1.