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Congratulations to all of our RSYS Academy sailors who competed at the 2023 Zhik Youth Sail Clinic on Lake Macquarie over the long weekend. The Annual Youth Sail Regatta, put together by Australian Sailing, is made up of a three day coaching clinic and a three day regatta. The training clinic allows youth sailors to refine their boat handling skills, tactics and race strategy under the guidance of experienced coaches. These skills are immediately put to the test with the 3-day regatta - and this year was a rollercoaster!

Wind conditions were highly variable, with Saturday's shifty winds playing havoc on the racecourse. A strong Seabreeze on Sunday held sailors ashore in the morning, before it was safe to recommence racing in the afternoon.

RSYS was well represented in the ILCA 4, ILCA 6, IQ Foil and Open Optimist classes.
Sailors who made the trip up to the lake included Harriet McLachlan, Dana Retboell, Isobel Payne, Massimo Henderson, Amelia Wilson, Ali Braden, Sara Bruce, Rory Miller, Bear Whitelaw, Lauren Tandy, Patrick McLachlan and Raphael McLachlan.

A special mention goes to Green Fleet sailor Edward Payne, who also made the big trip up to the lake with his Opti.

Sara achieved 5th place overall in the ILCA 6 category, closely followed by Ali in 6th place. Raphael landed an impressive 15th place overall in the Open Optimist fleet.

Youth Sailor, Massimo Henderson, writes “The 2023 edition of the NSW Youth Championship Regatta and training clinic was hosted at the Teralba Amateur Sailing Club, with a move further north on Lake Macquarie than last year.

The three day long regatta was a mix of wind conditions, with a light-medium wind day one, which was a nice introduction to the flat waters of the lake. For day two the breeze picked up, with the breeze moving between the high teens and low twenties. For a lot of the squad, it was a reminder of the importance of boat work, with several unfortunate breakages throughout the day, keeping coach Zac West on his toes all day. Day three was light again, never reaching over ten knots the whole day. For most, it was a welcome relief for the racing to become a mental battle instead of a physical battle.

We had several squadron members competing in the regatta. In the ILCA 6 (Radial) we had Isobel Payne in 22nd and Massimo Henderson in 18th. Other youth members Sara Bruce and Ali Braeden came 5th and 6th respectively.

In the ILCA 4 (4.7) we had Dana Retboell in 8th, and Youth member Harriet Mclachlan in 7th. In the open Optimists we had Rory Miller (32nd) Bear Whitelaw (35th) and Lauren Tandy, who unfortunately was injured in the first race, as well as other youth members Raphael and Patrick McLachlan (15th and 22nd). We also had member Amelia Wilson achieve 4th place in the IQ/Wind foil. Despite the challenges everyone faced, we were able to overcome them and showcase some of our skills in the competitive fleets.

We’re always grateful to the volunteers, race officials and Australian Sailing who made this regatta possible, as well the Squadron for supporting the event and Zac West who juggled both the lasers and Optimists. Can’t forget the parents either that supported us the whole regatta too. We’re now looking forward to the start of the summer season!”

View the full results here: https://sailingresults.net/?ID=81663

Thank you to our parents, volunteers and coaches who made the trip possible.

Photos: Australian Sailing - NSW & ACT

Thank you to Teralba Amateur Sailing Club for hosting this fabulous regatta.