ILCA 2025 Oceania & Australian Championship wrap-up
by Andrew Stransky 13 Jan 04:20 NZDT
1-8 January 2025
Just a hint of how tight the ILCA racing is © Mike Middleton / RQYS
After a marathon 6 straight days of racing in the one person fitness machine, the ILCA Oceanic championships concluded in thrilling fashion. The racing was next level tight with all the results in nerve wracking doubt until the final 12th race.
It was a regatta that had it all, kicking off with 2 days of strong SE winds then switching to moderate and very shifty northeasters with Moreton Bay turning on splendid and challenging conditions. Drama came thick and fast in the big fleet action with yellow flags, DSQs and BFDs keeping things on the knife edge of controversy. With 226 sailors and a record fleet of 96 youngsters in the ILCA 4 division the world's most popular sailing class looks very healthy in Australia.
To take home one of the iconic ILCA cubes and become engraved on the famous trophies must certainly be one of the toughest mountains to climb in sailing. The line of those wanting to take on this challenge was momentous. Let's first look at who came out on top of the youth in the ILCA 4, who represent the future of this booming class.
Breanne Wadley came through strongly on the final 4 moderate, shifty days to top this record 96 boat fleet. A remarkable performance by the girl from Tinaroo QLD, topping all the boys to claim both the open and female trophies. Callum Simmons from Vic came 2nd, 1st U18 boy, with Ian Goh from Singapore 3rd overall, and 2nd U18 boy. Ian was the early leader in the 4s but a DSQ in finals race 3 cost him the title.
The all important age divisions all gain the treasured cubes. In the U16 boys division, Thomas Cooper WA in 4th came out on top, with James Dale QLD in 5th narrowly pipping Wilbur Bright QLD in 6th for this hard fought title. Will James Vic in 7th took 3rd U18 boy.
In the U18 girls, Zoe Jackson from Victoria in 19th won out over Isla Molyneux WA in 20th to take this division, with Lottie Griffth Vic 27th, 3rd in the U16 girls division, Ruby Carter QLD in 21st took the title from Isabell Taylor NSW in 40th and Maya Cantwell Vic in 56th.
Naturally the competition in the Olympic women's single-handed class was extremely intense. The AST girls, who have been climbing the world rankings consistently over the past years, taking on some strong international contenders and a whole host of up and coming girls and boys in the class. Mara Stransky QLD, who remained extremely consistent across all conditions was dealt a 2nd yellow flag on the penultimate day, having to retire from the race that would have secured her the series. On the final day, trailed by the jury and the threat of a 3rd yellow which would have tumbled her down the results, Mara came out victorious over the star-studded fleet, winning the final race and securing the Australian championship for the 4th time. Zoe Thomson WA, made an impressive comeback on the final day to take 2nd also having to take the pressure of a 2nd yellow flag hanging over her racing style.
Evie Saunders NSW, had a stellar first day of finals, charging up the ranks. She finished 3rd overall and claimed the U21 title. Anja Von Allmen from Switzerland was an early contender in the breeze, but stumbled on the lighter shifty days to finish 4th, narrowly edging Casey Imeneo Vic into 5th. Frances Beebe QLD, in 9th picked up a cube for 2nd U21 female.
Over recent years the women have dominated this class but they have had to fend off plenty of fine male athletes. Healy Ryan NSW, was the first male in 7th overall, picking up the1st U17 boys cube. Landon Stahl of the USA in 18th was 2nd U17 boy and Arran Begic of NZ in 23rd was 3rd. In the U19 boys division Jasper Stay WA in 9th took the title from Miro Luxford NZ in 12th and Riley Cantwell Vic in 14th nabbed 3rd. In the U19 girls, Ellen Sampson stood up as South Australia's sole cube winner in 21st winning this title from Caterina Meyer QLD in 28th.
No less enthralling was the Olympic men's single-handed standard class story. Fresh from coaching Matt Wearn into gold at the Paris games, head coach of the AST boys, Rafa Trujillo was feeling the heat going into the final day. Not since the Nationals in 2003 had an international won the title, with the coveted trophy remaining the stronghold of Australian men with their dominance in this class. Going into the final day, Duko Bos of the Netherlands was laying down a red hot challenge for the title. Scoreboard leader, Zac Littlewood from WA started the day scoring his 2nd yellow flag forcing his retirement from the race.
With Duko posting a 3rd, it all came down to the last race. Zac Littlewood mastered the very shifty winds and pressure to win the last race and win on countback from Duko Bos. A close shave but the title remains with the Australians. Highest ranking Australian, Ethan MacAllay of WA also suffered under the somewhat grey areas of rule 42, relating to illegal kinetics, attracting a 2nd yellow flag in race 9 which pushed him out of the running into 3rd overall. WA sailors dominated the top 5 with Stefan Elliot-Shircore in 4th and Michael Compton in 5th. Queensland's Issac Schotte in 7th won the highly prized U21 trophy from Eddie Reid of Tasmania in 9th and Mattia Santostefano of Italy in 11th.
Yet another special ILCA trophy is the Battens Trophy for the best performing state. This trophy dates back to 1975 and has been dominated by Western Australia for some time, until last year when Queensland broke this stronghold. WA, with its strong performance across all classes and in particular the ILCA 7 won the Battens Trophy back from QLD this year. Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and South Australia also took home cubes and while NT couldn't lay their hands on a cube they impressively arrived with a handsome fleet and posted some strong performances.
The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron proved a great location to host this prestigious event, with its spacious lawns, wide launching ramps and facilities second to none. The hard working race committee did a splendid job of setting very fair courses and handling the huge fleets. And of course the jury were doing their very best under the vagaries of this challenging task. The generous group of volunteers certainly did their fair share in making this such a memorable event.
Full results here.