Hosted by Keppel Bay Sailing Club in Yeppoon, day one of the 2023 Zhik Queensland Youth Championships saw over 210 boats take to the water after an initial delay due to inconsistent breeze.

The regatta, which has taken place annually since 2006, has attracted young sailors from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory across a range of classes.

Credit Sandra Byrt

Reigning national Sabot champion and 2023 Queensland Youth Sailor of the Year Laken Eaton (Brisbane Sailing Squadron) has some impressive scores on the board after the first day of racing, currently leading the Sabot class.

“I went pretty well out there today, especially when the heavier breeze really started to kick in. I’d love to finish on the podium at this regatta, so that’s my goal,” said Eaton.

“It’s been great to sail with really good people this week, everyone is really nice and welcoming. It doesn’t matter where you are in the fleet, everyone is here to have fun.”

What started out as a light westerly turned into a north-east sea breeze around 1pm, providing competitors with varied conditions throughout the day.

With the wind forecasted to increase significantly over the coming days, a conscious effort was made to complete as many races as possible on the opening day of the championship. This was a welcome challenge to most of the young sailors who are looking to gain realistic regatta experience.

Credit Sandra Byrt

North Queensland sailor Breanne Wadley (Tinaroo Sailing Club) relished the opportunity to sail in the 40 strong ILCA 4 fleet, with her results from day one putting her on track to defend her state title from 2022.

“Today I had a really successful day with 3-1-1-1 so I can’t really ask for much better than that, I’m really stoked with the day,” Wadley said.

“As well as the sailing, the best part of the week has been seeing all my friends again. I haven’t seen them in a while and it’s always great to have the yearly Yeppoon get together, it’s really fun to hang out with them all day.”

The results are tight in the iQFOiL class, with the fleet making the most of the long day and completing six slalom races once the breeze picked up.

“Yeppoon is always quite wavy and by the end of today there was a bit of rolling swell, so it was a bit of a mixed bag from everyone in the fleet this afternoon,” said Jarrod Jones (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) who is currently sitting in third place.

“Tight racing is good, and I felt a lot more comfortable by the end with the bigger breeze, so I’m looking forwards to the hectic conditions that are predicated for the next few days.” 

Credit Sandra Byrt

State Performance Pathway Manager for Queensland Mitch Kennedy thinks it has been a great start to the event, with the sailors successfully putting their newly learned skills from this week’s Zhik Youth Sail QLD coaching clinic to the test.

“Over last three days at the coaching clinic we focused on starting consistency, so it was great to see the sailors put their skills into practice,’ started Kennedy.

“A good start was key for today and will continue to set up the sailors for good results over the coming days. It was definitely tricky at first with the lighter breeze, so the people who were able to hold their lane and set up their boat to match the conditions reaped the rewards.”

The QLD Youth Championships are set to continue over the coming days pending weather developments, with race organisers hoping to host four more races on day two of the regatta.

Credit Sandra Byrt

To follow along with the action on the ground, be sure to follow Australian Sailing Youth on Facebook and Instagram.

Click here for a full list of results.