Sunny skies made for an inviting start to the Youth Championships this morning, with more than 245 sailors from all but one of Australia’s states and territories taking to the water for the regatta portion of the 2024 Zhik Youth Sail New South Wales event.

All 12 classes took to the water on what was a windy yet enjoyable day, with the strong and gusty north-westerly softening as the day progressed.

For Amelia Wilson (Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron/Bayview Yacht Racing Association) and the rest of the iQFOil fleet, the challenges caused by the wind were not enough to diminish their enjoyment.

“We all got here expecting a big day of around 25 knots but by the time we got out there the wind was only recording about six,” she said.

“We ended up doing four Slalom races with a huge break in the middle waiting for the wind to come in. It was a bit of a trying day, very on and off and all about playing the gusts.

“I had lots of fun out there, racing against the boys and seeing my pace against their downwinds, especially considering they’re a bit heavier than me, so I had a great time.”

Currently in third, Wilson is looking forward to the remainder of the regatta.

“I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow, it’s meant to be windy and I’m keen to test out my skills, especially my new up-winds.

“My overall goal is to get as close to the boys as possible, especially in the down-winds, cause obviously speed is a huge thing in the iQFOil,” she said.

In the 13ft Skiff class, skipper Cooper Lowe and crew Max Barrett (Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Sailing Club) are currently in second, just one point behind first.

“The first day brought with it shifty conditions but we did pretty well and came away with two seconds and a third,” said Barrett.

“We got a couple of good kite runs but most of the time it was pretty light - it was a really good day.

“Our goal for this event is to really get a grip of this boat. Results are results and we’ll be happy wherever we place as long as we feel we understand the boat a bit better.

“We’ve spent the last three days getting better at the coaching clinic and we’re keen to learn as much as we can over the next few days, we really want to get a feel for the boat,” he said.

Teralba Amaetur Sailing Club is hosting this year's event from Wednesday 2 to Monday 7 October. The Coaching Clinic portion of the event finished yesterday, with the Youth Championships now on until Monday.

For more information on the event, click here.

To follow along with the event on social media, be sure to follow Australian Sailing Youth on Facebook and Instagram.