Monthly Archives: May 2024

Olympic Sailing Qualification

Qualification for 2024 Olympics Sailing is now finalised with 330 sailors from 66 Olympic nations set to compete in 252 boats spread across the 10 Olympic sailing events in Marseilles starting on 26th July. The nations set to compete and how they qualified are tabulated in a detailed Wiki here. There is a post on the ILCA web site on ILCAs in the Olympics which describes the qualification process and some of the history.

 

Australia will compete in 9 of the 10 events (missing out in the Men’s Kites). In the ILCAs Zoe Thomson and Matt Wearn have been selected as reported Here.  In the ILCAs from our Oceania Region four nations Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa each have qualified and will send sailors in both ILCA 6 and 7.

 

It is a great honour to be chosen to represent your country in an Olympics and we wish the sailors and their support teams all the best for their events. Behind their success all these sailors have coach and sport professionals and especially supportive families to sustain, motivate and improve them. We thank them one and all.

 

One special Oceania qualification we would like to highlight is that of Samoa in the ILCA 6. There Vaimo’oi’a (Vai) Ripley achieved her lifelong ambition of competing in the Olympics. Via won one of two of the IOC’s Universality Places which are a lifeline to athletes from underrepresented Olympics nations.

 

Vai has been sailing and training at Middle Harbour Amateur Sailing Club in Sydney while competing in all the ILCA local and many international events and fully deserves her coveted place. There is a great post on MHASC web site Here on Vai’s quest.

ILCA Move to Secure Class Future

 

ILCA have announced that they have acquired royalty and legacy builder rights owned by Spencer family companies Global Sailing (GS) and class builder Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA). This will give the class greater ownership and control over the design rights and building specifications of ILCAs as well as a greater share of the income from hull & equipment manufacture.

 

The two acquisitions from the Spencers are the design rights for the class which GS purchased from Bruce Kirby in the early 2000s and the royalty payment rights issued to PSA in 2019 to compensate them as one of the then two legacy builders for the agreement to, and effect of, the introduction of multiple new class builders. See Here for details of these royalty payments.

 

The ILCA web site post Here has more on this positive move by the class to secure its future.

2025 ILCA Open & Youth Championships NoR and Entries

 

The 2025 Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championships will be held at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Manly Queensland  between 1-8 January 2025.

 

The Notice of Race for this event is Here.

 

Entries prior to 30 November $450 can be placed Here.

 

The Regatta Competitor Page with links to race documents, entry, venue information and WhatsApp Chat Group for notifications of new information is Here.

 

Charters may be available from NB Sailsports and Performance Sailcraft Australia.

 

This event is the qualifying event for Australian sailors applying for entry to any 2025 ILCA World Open and Youth Championships.

Changes at Australian ILCA Builder PSA

 

Following on from the changes in ILCA boats & equipment supply with now nine approved licensed builders around the world  we are advised that PSA has reviewed its operations here and plans to move to a smaller factory where they will deploy new world standard moulds and hull/deck joining jig.

 

In the interim they are still building boats and supplying equipment from their Fountaindale NSW site but have reduced staff and staffing to three days per week.

 

PSA say they are looking forward to the future in their overhead reduced form.