Venues and dates for main 2025-26 events have been posted on our Events Page.
The list includes all District, Australian, Oceania and World Championship events we are aware of. If you know of others let us know.
Zoe Thomson showing how it’s done in strong winds on Day 6 in Qingdao
19 of Australia’s top sailors (8 ILCA 6 and 11 ILCA 7) competed in the 2025 ILCA Open World Championships at the 2008 Olympic venue Qingdao, China. There are 99 women and 139 men sailing in the event which ran from 10 to 17 May.
No races were completed on any of the first four days. Reasonable winds were forecast but no really sailable winds arrived until Day 5. The event finished will bang on Day 6 with 25 knot plus winds sweeping across the two course areas.
The ILCA 6 Women completed 6 races and the ILCA 7 Men just 5. All races were sailed as qualifying races with the split fleets (3 for ILCA 7 and 2 for ILCA 6). There were no gold and silver finals fleet races.
In the ILCA 6 event the winner Louise Cervera FRA posted two wins in the light wind races and then consistent places when the oysters were blowing off the rocks on the final day. Agata Barwinska POL and Eve Mcmahon IRL were separated by a tie break in second and third. The Australian team performed very well with Elyse Ainsworth 7th, Zoe Thomson 12th and Sylvie Stannage 16th.
In the ILCA 7s it all came down to the last race in a semi gale as all the top ranked sailors were very close on points and already had a bad race to drop. In the end there were just three points separating the top 6 sailors. In the last race Willem Wiersema NED and Pavlos Kontides CYP won their respective fleet races and finished one point apart in that order. WA’s Zac Littlewood after a great and consistent series had a 6th in the final race and finished two points away from Willem in third. Fellow WA sailors Ethan Mcaullay was next best Australian in 16th.
Full results are Here.
There is some great commentary on YouTube by Jon Emmett and Lily Xu over the live stream of Day 5 and Day 6 races. Well worth watching for the Olympic sailor and coach insights on the tactics and techniques of the competitors.
The Regatta Online Management System with links to results and all information is Here.
See Frances Beebe’s report on the event and her great performance Here.
The event web site is Here and photos are Here.
Lawson Mcaullay when there was some wind on day 1 of World Championships Qingdao
Australian Sailing has just announced that from World Sailing 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships YSWC in Vilamoura, Portugal 12-20 December 2025 they will resume supporting a boat with a female and a male crew in ILCA 6, 420, 29’er, IQ, Kitefoil and a mixed gender crew in the Nacra.
Only Australian Sailing AS can lodge entries for YSWC and they will select the sailors to represent Australia from their nominated selection event which for 2025 for the ILCA 6 will be the AS NSW Youth Sail event at Toronto ASC 4-6 October 2025.
While AS will fund support for the sailors selected the sailors will need to self fund entry accommodation and travel (estimated by AS at between $10,000 -$13,000).
AS have some information on a post on their web site Here. AS request that sailors who may be interested to compete complete a non binding expression of interest by 13 May Here.
YSWC comprising 11 events will see around 400 of the top sailors aged above 12 and under 19 years (on 31 December 2025) from 70 countries competing.
German sailor Nico Naujock with a 7/10 dive following a 10/10 capsize at the recent 2025 Princessa Sofia Regatta in Palma, Spain. You can see how Nico managed this on Instagram Here.
Not that he would have been thinking about it at the time but Nico is still on starboard gybe and not (yet) capsized so is probably right of way boat in his current position.
Don’t try this at home either. A few ILCA thrill seekers tested their skills and their luck off Sydney Harbour’s South Head when 4-5 metres seas were running in April. Photo by Caddy Media
Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania is where it is all happening for ILCA Oceania & Nationals. At the same time experience all the activity around the Sydney Hobart race and Tasmania’s Taste of Summer in Hobart.
Get you entry and bookings in early so you don’t miss the prime travel and accommodation spots.
Scan the QR code or go to https://ryct.org.au/2026-ilca-oceania-australian-championship/ for links to NoR, entry and information on the event.
Zoe Thomson won the ILCA 6 gold medal ahead of 114 of the World’s top ILCA 6 Women sailors at the Princesa Sofía Regatta, held between 28 March and 5th April in Mallorca, Spain. Conditions were highly variable with big winds and waves on some days and light winds and flat water on others.
Zoe has had great success in this regatta having finished second in the last two years and was very pleased to go one better this year. She achieved this with consistent performance through the series and a second place in the Medal Race. Fellow Australian Sailing Team member Mara Stransky also had a good series finishing 10th while Casey Imeneo was 20th and Sylvie Stannage 29th.
The full AS ILCA 6 squad, have been training together through the Australian summer and will compete in the 2025 ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship 10-17 May in Qingdao, China.
In the ILCA 7s Australian Sailing Pathway Team sailors Zac Littlewood and Ethan McAullay both scored several top-three race finishes in the 174 boat event in Mallorca. Zac finished just one point out of the Medal Race in 11th place with Ethan 16th. They will compete in the 10 Australia sailor team in the 2025 Men’s ILCA 7 Worlds next month in China.
Olympic silver medalist and World Sailing number one ranked iQ Foilist Grae Morris also won gold in Mallorca with consistent performance in the variable conditions.
Tas ILCA have posted the 2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championship Notice of Race along with Online Entry on the Event Page below:
2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championship – Event Page
The Event Page also has charter boat contacts, transport and accommodation information, coach, and support boat registration.
In particular sailors and teams who wish to use Spirit of Tasmania should consider booking early for greater choice of sailings.
This event will be the ranking event for entry to all 2026 ILCA World Open and Youth Championships except for the 2026 Under 21 Worlds Lanzarote, Spain (17-24 Jan 2025). Full details of ILCA Australia ranking for ILCA World Championships are Here.
Along with the nationals, RYCT have their pre-Christmas Showdown regatta that sailors may be interested in. The NoR for this event is Here.
Tas ILCA and RYCT are looking forward to welcoming all down to Hobart for these Championships
ILCA International has awarded the 2027 ILCA Under-21 World Championships to ILCA Victoria.
The 2027 Performance Sailcraft ILCA Under 21 World Championships for men in ILCA 7 and women in ILCA 6 will be run 10-17 January 2027 at the Sandringham Yacht Club. Up to 200 sailors are expected to compete with many aspiring to represent their countries at the 2028 and/or 2032 Olympics.
Sandringham will also host the Victorian State and the Australian & Oceania Championships in the weeks preceding the Under 21 Worlds. Together with Sail Melbourne, this provides sailors from around the world with a program of events across the southern hemisphere summer.
ILCA Field Operations Officer, Andrus Poksi said. “The event will bring together the world’s top Under-21 sailors to compete at
one of the premier sailing destinations in the Southern Hemisphere.
The full event Press Release is Here.
Under 21 Worlds Men’s ICA 7 Portugal 2024 Start
David Whait leading Matt Faddy and Matt Blakey all enjoying the conditions at the top of the ILCA 7 Fleet
Over 100 boats lined up for the 2025 Masters at Westernport (27 ILCA 7s, 80 ILCA 6s and 6 ILCA 4s) sailed 21-24 February at Westernport YC, Victoria.
On day one no race started with the tide velocity at times exceeding the wind. Conditions after that ranged from excellent ranging up to challenging allowing PRO Col Dods to run three races per day so 9 of the scheduled 10 races were completed. WYC did a fabulous job on the water and for the several social events which were much appreciated by all the sailors.
There was great racing in all the fleets and some fabulous rides across the reaches and with some decent wind and wave waves down the runs.
The final results for the event are Here.
Lots of action photos of the event are available to free download thanks to Tom France @thomasfrancephotography.
Bruce Paine and the Boat of Pain found the waves a fair bit bigger than on Lake Burly Griffin
Entries are now open Here for the 2025 Oceania & Australian Masters Championships 21–24 February at Westernport Yacht Club Balnarring Beach, Victoria.
To encourage growth in the ILCA 4 division, a special entry fee of AUD120 is provided.
The Notice of Race is Here.
Charter boats are available through Martin Sly (contact Martin at info@slyboatbuilding.com.au) and NB Sailsports order online Here.
This is the Australian ranking event for the 2025 ILCA World Masters 19-28 September Formia, Italy. Unfortunately ILCA International is not as advanced as us and does not currently offer ILCA 4 in Masters Worlds however ILCA 4 Masters sailors can gain a ranking for ILCA 6 World Masters in Formia sailing ILCA 4 in Westernport.
A pre-regatta coaching clinic with lead Olympic winning coach Jon Emmett will be held at Westernport Yacht Club on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the Australian Masters championship on the 21 February. Click Here to register.
For additional information on Jon please visit Jon Emmett Sailing Here.
The fabulous 2025 Women’s Regatta will be held on 22 March at Vaucluse Yacht Club (VYC) on Sydney Harbour.
The Regatta is being run by VYC with support from ILCA NSW & ACT and major sponsors Zhik and Performance Sailcraft.
There will be a full day of activities kicking off at 8.30 with yoga on the deck, followed by a breakfast, sailing workshops at 10:00. Racing will be from 13:00 with the prizegiving at 17:30 and concluding with a cocktail reception with a guest panel from 18:00.
The event is open to all women ILCA sailors and there will be prizes for age categories.
This event is run in conjunction with the Helly Hansen Women’s Challenge and the Manly Yacht Club. The Green Fleet will race as a part of the Helly Hansen Women’s Challenge (HHWC) organised by Manly Yacht Club.
Entries Here are $75 and $50 for U18 and students.
20 ILCA Master sailors will be offered the opportunity to be coached by Jon Emmett, former world champion & Olympic gold medalist coach of the 2012 Laser Radial winner ‘Golden Lily’.
Jon is running a pre-regatta coaching clinic at Westernport Yacht Club on the Tuesday and Wednesday 18-19 February before the Australian Masters championship on the 21 February.
For additional information click Here. For more about Jon please visit Jon Emmett Sailing Here.
Click Here to register.
The ILCA Handbook which contains all you want to know about the class. It is online Here.
It is updated annually and contains Class Rules, Constitution, Organisation and Contacts, Age Policy, Measurement Information, Technical Tips and World Championships Results Archive.
This 2025 edition contains an informative column by ILCA President Tracy Usher on the state of the class and how it has achieved full control over the class’ design rights and builders manual to ensure its future.
ILCA 6 Action Mara Stransky Leads Evie Saunders & Hugo Ralph Photo by Spikey Mikey
The Oceania & Australian Youth & Open Championships was held at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Manly Queensland 1-8 January 2025. The event saw 223 boats in the three ILCA classes sail in five fleets competing all 12 scheduled races in mostly variable sea breeze conditions. The first day saw very strong SE winds with the second race of the day abandoned when a 35 knot front moved over the course. There races were scheduled on the second day with PRO Col Dods keen to get back onto the regatta schedule. This day proved to be the toughest of the regatta.
Days 3 to 6 were sailed in predictable moderate seas breeze conditions allowing the event to proceed like clockwork give or take a few general recalls.
Almost all the top Australian ILCA sailors were competing along with sailors from 10 other countries in Oceania, North America, Europe and Asia regions. In particular It was great to see eight sailors from New Zealand and representatives from Samoa and Fiji competing. The story of two special Pacific Island Olympic sailors is outlined in an ILCA Oceania press release Here.
Action a Plenty in the ILCA 4s at RQYS
It was great to see the large number of ILCA 4 sailors. ILCA 4s were the largest class with 92 entries (47 females) sailing for the first time in two fleets. In a close contest they were lead home by Tinaroo Queenslander Breanne Wadley RQYS/TSC from Victorian Callum Simmons SSCBC/IHYC who was first Under 18 and Singaporean Ian Goh. First Under 16 was overall 4th placed WA sailors Thomas Cooper RFBYC/FSC.
The ILCA 6s had 85 entries sailing in two fleets. They were dominated by the top women sailors with 8 of the top 10 and all of the top 6 places filled by women. The clear winner was RQYS and Tokyo Olympic representative Mara Stransky. Mara overcame a F3 race retirement due to a second Rule 42 infringement with a strong finish to win from Marseille Olympic representative WA’s Zoe Thomson RFBYC. NSW Manly YC sailor Evie Saunders won three races to finish 3rd and was first Under 21. NSW sailors Healy Ryan DBSC/HHSC was first Under 17 and first male at 7th place. First Under 19 was WA’s Jasper Stay RFBYC/FSC.
Hamish Gilsenan Leads Mike Wilson in ILCA 7
The ILCA 7s fleet of 46 podium was dominated by WA sailors with four of the top six from that state. Zac Littlewood RFBYC won after a first place in the final heat. Zac received a second yellow flag in the first race of the final day setting the scene for a nail biting finish with Netherlands Olympic sailor Duko Bos. Zac’s win in Race 12 got him across the line on a countback. Ethan McAulay RPYC who had beaten Zac and Duko in the lead up event Sail Melbourne was well placed until a second yellow flag in Race 9 forced him to withdraw from that race. Ethan finished 3rd. WA sailors Stefan Elliott-Shircore FSC and Michael Compton SoPYC/FSC completed the WA domination with NSW sailor Finn Alexander RSYS/DBSC completing the podium places. First Under 21 in the ILCA 7s was Isaac Schotte RQYS.
The Battens Trophy for the best performing state returned to WA where it has resided for most of its life since 1975. Victoria in 2023 and Queensland in 2024 interrupted the line however the fabulous strength of the WA ICLA 7 team carried the day in 2025.
Winners are Grinners – Battens Winning Team
The next ILCA Australian & Oceania Open & Youth Championships will be held at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania 1-8 January 2026. Information on this event is in a post on our web site Here.
The full results of the event are Here.
All the event details are on the competitors page on the RQYS web site Here.
RQYS event photos are Here.
There is a more detailed wrap on he event by Andrew Stransky Here.
Seven selected ILCA 4 female sailors one from each Australian state and one from New Zealand gained a transformative experience for their young sailing careers through participation in the ILCA Oceania Solidarity program at the Oceania and Australian Open and Youth Championships 1-8 January at RQYS Manly Queensland.
The girls were selected from many applicants by their ILCA district and provided free entry by Queensland ILCA, a new ILCA 4 boat for the series and merchandise by PSA, two top coaches and support equipment provided by Australian Sailing.
As with previous years Solidarity Program participants they formed a tight knit group and gained maximum advantage of the opportunity to transition and advance in the ILCA 4 class and gain additional skills, experience, and confidence to pursue their passion for sailing.
You can read Amelia Thorne NSW & ACT Solidarity sailor’s review of the the 2025 program Here.
Thanks to the donners of logistics for this program and to John d’Helin (President of ILCA Victoria) for bringing this initiative to life and work to make it thrive.
The seven sailors from the 2025 program pictured above were;
Lucy Luxford, Charteris Bay Yacht Club (NZ)
Evie McGuire, Southport Yacht Club/ Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (QLD)
Amelia Thorne, Hunters Hill Sailing Club (NSW & ACT)
Alexandria Ewart, Davey’s Bay Yacht Club (VIC)
Genivieve Strutton, Royal Yacht Club Of Tasmania (TAS)
Sophia Homes, Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club (SA)
Robin Mary Tutty, Hillary’s Yacht Club/Royal Perth Yacht Club (WA)
For longer term planning the 2026 Oceania & Australian and Open & Youth Championships will be 1-8 January 2026 at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in Hobart.
As always sailors will be made very welcome and experience great sailing conditions. Sailors and their supporters can also enjoy some of Australia’s best tourist venues before or after the event. You can get the picture in the short promo video Here.
It is best to plan well ahead for events in Tassie as it is a very popular destination especially around Christmas and New Year. ILCA Tasmania have set up a special page on the RTCT web site Here which will have all the information on the event.
