2023 MUSTO AUSTRALIAN OPTIMIST CHAMPIONSHIP PITTWATER, NSW

THE2023 AUSTRALIAN OPTIMIST Championship regatta was held at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, in Pittwater, in the beautiful Northern Beaches of New South Wales.

There were approximately 200 entries in the regatta between Open, Intermediate and Green fleets.

I was excited to have the privilege of representing Western Australia and RFBYC in my first major regatta as an Intermediate fleet sailor, although I felt a bit overwhelmed at first, as there were 62 entries in Intermediate fleet, which is about four times as many boats as I had previously raced against.

Being my first season of racing and feeling relatively inexperienced, I didn’t know what to expect, so my goals for the regatta were simple: to have fun, focus on fundamentals and to finish every race.

The conditions were light and shifty for the first couple of days, and my results were mixed as I grappled with the congested start line and unfamiliar water.

As the regatta progressed, I gained confidence, and by the end of the regatta I had managed a few top ten results, including a second place in a race heat, which was a highlight of the regatta. A few errors early in the regatta saw me in 20th place at the beginning of the final day of racing, but I was determined to improve my overall placing by the end of the day.

I gave it my best in the freshening conditions in the final two races and managed to climb up the leader board to achieve a final result of 12th place in Intermediate fleet, and 1st under 9-year-old skipper for the regatta, which I am thrilled with.

I learned so much from participating in the Australian Optimist Dinghy Championships and improved my understanding of the racing rules of sailing. It was an amazing experience, and one I hope to repeat next year in South Australia.

There were many regatta highlights, including meeting Jason Waterhouse and Tash Bryant from Sail GP, and legendary Olympic sailor John Forbes. I especially enjoyed the camaraderie of being part of the RFBYC Optimist team.

I am grateful for the support from RFBYC, and the incredible coaching and mentoring I have received from the junior coaches that have shared their wealth of knowledge to help me learn and succeed in my sailing journey.

Congratulations to all the sailors who participated, the regatta winners and special award recipients.