The breeze picked up on day two of the 2023 Zhik Queensland Youth Championships in Yeppoon, providing the sailors with glamour conditions on what has been officially announced as the final day of racing due to adverse weather conditions expected to hit the beach tomorrow.

The presentation for the event will take place on Saturday morning at 8:30am, just in from the competition beach.

Australian sailing legend, three-time Olympic medallist and Zhik CEO Mathew Belcher was on hand today to support the event, stating that it was great to see so many young sailors from around Queensland having fun and competing in the event.

“It’s been great to come up here for the Zhik Youth Sail QLD series, and really exciting to see some of the races and meet the juniors. It’s a privilege for Zhik to be here to support the event,” said Belcher.

There were some rides to be had on the Delta Course on day two, with leading Nacra 15 pair Kristian Bilston and Addison Lester (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) happy to be competing and gaining Regatta experience.

“Today started light in that 5-10 knot range before we had a cloud system come through and it picked up rapidly to about 15 knots,” started Bilston.

“It’s been great to sail against everyone and see the different techniques. The racing is definitely getting closer so it’s good to see a more condensed fleet and everyone getting closer with each race,” continued Lester.

“Our goal for this regatta was to fine tweak everything and have fun, and I think we’ve done that which has been great,” Lester finished.

Maximilian Rott and Alex Rott (Hervey Bay Sailing Club) ended the regatta in second place, with skipper Eamon Dooley and crew Charli Gargan (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) in third.

In the 29er class, it was Lucas Patrick and Luke Rogers (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) sailing on the aptly named boat, L Squared, who finished the regatta in first place. Sibling pairings Sophie Whitmore and Thomas Whitmore (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) and Ayesha Albery and Elysia Albery (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished in second and third respectively.

Included in the 2023 Zhik Youth Sail QLD event for the first time, the Arrow class was won by Nathaniel Harrison (Keppel Bay Sailing Club), who finished strong with two bullets in the last two races. Jared Newton (Keppel Bay Sailing Club) finished in second, with Riley Kroning (Brisbane Sailing Squadron) in third.

Amelia Tracey (Tinaroo Sailing Club) also ended the regatta at the top of the standings after some strong performances in the O’pen Skiff class, including bullets in three out of four races on day one, and two out of four races on day two.

“I did alright today after I got the water out of my boat, it filled up because I left the bung out,” said the north Queensland sailor.

“I really enjoyed the training camp earlier this week, our coach was really good and he really pushed us. I learned a lot, especially about how to adapt with waves which I don’t get much of being from Tinaroo. There’s not many waves there, and what I learned really helped me over the last few days,” Tracey finished.

Leo Sparshott (Southport Yacht Club) finished in silver with Leon-Wei Petit (Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club) finishing in bronze.

2023 Queensland Youth Sailor of the Year Laken Eaton (Brisbane Sailing Squadron) backed up a strong performance on day one to come away with the gold in the Sabot class, finishing ahead of first girl Alyssa Mathieu (Townsville Sailing Club) in silver and local sailor Caelan Byrt (Keppel Bay Sailing Club) in bronze.

In the Optimist class, Joshua Dale (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) on Wallygator finished in first place. After a hard-fought battle on day two, Monte Morse (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished strong, pipping Gold Coast sailor Nathaniel McCarthy (Southport Yacht Club) for second.

In Intermediate Optimist, Orlando Dunn-Mura (Humpybong Yacht Club), Leo Batenburg (Darwin Sailing Club) and Alex McDonald (Newport Cruising Yacht Club) finished first, second and third respectively.

As the breeze built throughout the day, the experienced ILCA 6 sailors relished the chance to test themselves in the in the conditions against a large fleet. Victorian Angus McIntyre (Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron) finished the regatta in the silver medal position and stated that it was great to get four races done on day two.

“I had a pretty good day out there today and was happy to consistently place in the top five,” started McIntyre, who travelled from Melbourne to compete at the event.

“The conditions were a bit tricky seeing as I’m from down south, especially dealing with the humidity. The shifts were pretty consistent though, so I was mostly clocking right all day and it stayed pretty true to forecast which was great.

Isaac Schotte (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished confidently in first place with seven from eight bullets, while Frances Beebe (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished in third after a consistent regatta.

Breanne Wadley (Tinaroo Sailing Club) finished in first place in the ILCA 4 class ahead of Caterina Meyer (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron), whose results improved with each race this week. Chase Taylor (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished a close third.

Brisbane sailor Joseph Folley (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished on top of the podium in the iQFoil class after a consistent performance saw him finish ahead of the fleet in almost every race. Rory Meehan (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) and Jarrod Jones (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) finished in second and third respectively.

“We got pretty glamour conditions out here this week for us foilers. Yesterday was nice and wavy so it was great to get that experience,” said Folley.

“Last year at this event was my first intro to racing in iQFoil, so it’s great to be back up here.

“This week was less about the results for me and more about learning and minimising the mistakes that I’m making out on the water, I’m stoked with how it’s all worked out,” Folley finished.

Over on the Greenfleet causeway, all 46 sailors sailed with maximum heart and determination, ensuring the future of sailing in Queensland is bright. Feedback from the coaches included that the sailors listened intently and learned many new skills whilst also refining old ones, and that all competitors should be very proud of their involvement.

Australian Sailing extends its thanks to Keppel Bay Sailing Club for hosting the 2023 Zhik Youth Sail event, and to Zhik for its support of Queensland’s young sailors.

To see all the photos and articles from the event, be sure to follow Australian Sailing Youth on Facebook and Instagram.

Click here for a full list of results.