The 2019 Pacific Games was held in Apia, Samoa from 7-20 July. The Games, first held in Suva, Fiji in 1963, were established to promote and develop sport in the region, without any barrier of ‘race, colour or politics’. The 16th edition of the Games saw over 4,000 athletes and officials from 24 Pacific Nations compete across 26 sports over a two week period. It was the second time Australia has been represented at the Pacific Games, since we were first invited to attend the 2015 edition in Papua New Guinea.

The Australian Team, supported by the Australian Olympic Committee had 55 athletes from 6 sports: Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Beach Volleyball, Women’s Rugby Sevens, Athletics and Sailing.

The Samoan experience started with a warm welcome from our local school as part of the Village Flag raising ceremony. https://www.facebook.com/danny.fuller.315/videos/10214219505391527/

We were then shown to our Australian House and living quarters for the next two weeks, and issued with our ear plugs, eye masks and torches (to find our way around after the 10:30pm lights out!

It did not take long to acclimatise to the tropical 30°C and high humidity. The Pacific Games Opening Ceremony was a memorable evening. Tropical rain pelted down most of the afternoon, pandemonium set in as busses became bogged in the mud carpark outside Apia Park. Fortunately the rain cleared as the first athletes marched into the arena and the crowd was treated to a very special evening of local performances culminating in lighting the Pacific Games torch.

Week one included racing for the Women’s single hander event sailed in the Laser Radial. Australia’s Paris Van Den Herik got off to a solid start day one with a 2,2,4 in the 3 races sailed. The weather throughout the regatta was challenging, quite often huge clouds building over the land and raining clouds coming in from the ocean both effecting the local wind on the course area. Day 3 Paris picked up a second yellow flag but she was able to bounce back day 4 and pick up two race wins. Points were close going into the final day of racing however Paris was able to secure the bronze medal.

The Oceania Championships were held alongside the Pacific Games and in week one this included a Kiteboarding event in which Australians Logan McCormick and Levi Fowler collected the Gold and Silver medals respectively.

The inaugural Para Hansa 303 single handed event was raced and Australia's Russell Phillips collected the silver medal.

Week two the Open Catamaran event was contested in the Hobie 16. Lake Macquarie Nacra 15 sailors Tom Dawson and Sarah Hoffman had to put on weight before the event to stay above the class minimum 130kgs. The Pacific Games experience was a major development opportunity for the two 16 year-olds, who were racing against athletes twice their age with a wealth of experience competing on the world stage.

“The Hobie Cat is really different to the Nacra, even just the steering changes the whole tactics of the race and it’s pretty challenging,” Dawson said.

“It is easier load-wise as there is less weight to pull on the ropes, but otherwise it's trickier because it’s harder to manoeuvre,” Hoffman added. Finishing fourth overall the pair were with in striking distance of a podium finish throughout the regatta.

Part of the games experience was also building the teams media skills. Australian Chef de Mission and the three-time Olympian Kenny Wallace interviewed the team out on the water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=oTQRlO3-yvQ. They also had the onshore media call.

About the event Sarah commented "It was an amazing opportunity to be able to relate with other athletes from different sports and be able to have the experience of being a part of a multi-sport Australian team. It was really interesting to learn the mindset other athletes carry when they achieve or don’t achieve their goals when competing. Overall, this event gave me a wide insight to the scope of sport and future opportunities in sports as well as giving me a further appreciation for sport itself." Tom observed "It was an awesome experience, heaps to take away from it and put back into our sailing back home."

Also in the second week of competition was the single handed men's event that was contested in the Laser full rig. Due to the limited number of Lasers available in Samoa competitors sailed in split fleets. Will Sargent from Tasmania was up against some top opposition with French sailors Maxime Mazard and Etienne Le pen representing New Caledonia. Will racked racked up 12 second places and managed a win in race 13. There were some great battles on the water, and one that also went before the international jury only to be dismissed but was a very valuable learning experience for both teams. In the final race of the series Will had to beat Eroni Leilua from Samoa for the Bronze medal. After a match racing style pre-start Will comfortably stayed three to four boat lengths in front of the Samoan to claim his spot on the podium.

On reflection Will commented "This event has highlighted to me the skill and fitness levels required to be able to compete at the top end of Olympic class fleets and has given me an insight into what I need to improve on to compete near the top end of the fleet of Olympic classes."

Supporting the sailors for the week was triple Olympian Karyn Gojnich and Queensland Performance Pathways manager Danny Fuller. Danny commented "I really enjoyed being part of a larger Australian team and the camaraderie that developed in that team while in Samoa. The Australian Team House had a fantastic feel and was a very supportive and positive environment. Meeting athletes and coaches from other sports was a fantastic opportunity to make new friends and learn about the intricacies of their sport and the differences in their preparation. Watching an Aussie team compete in a beach volleyball game along with other Aussie teammates was a real highlight of the trip."

"There were many highlights during our two weeks however the most rewarding was working with some very talented young sailors, watching them rise to the challenges, soak up advise, learn and adapt both on the racecourse and onshore. The future of Australian Sailing is looking very bright with these sailors coming through" said Karyn

Australians also at the regatta included David Brookes World Sailing Technical Delegate, and on the International Jury Howard Elliott and Damien Boldyrew.

Equipment inspector/measurer was Graeme Harbour.