Seven teams from across Australia line up at Royal Geelong Yacht Club tomorrow, with four days of racing on Corio Bay deciding the 2026 Australian Youth Match Racing Championship.
Three sailors arrive on the back of recent wins. Ben Crafoord of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia won the NSW Youth Championship in August, James Hayhoe of Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron took out the Toyota Youth International in Auckland earlier this year, and Louis Tilly of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club claimed September's Open Match Racing Regatta, held in the same RGYC-owned RS21 fleet the sailors will race this week.
Hayhoe's Auckland win came via a 3-2 final victory over New Zealand's Ethan Fong.
Tilly, at least, has sailed these boats before, having raced the RS21s at that September regatta.
"I feel like I've got a bit of an advantage having done that last regatta here," he said. "The team is pretty dialled in right now, and we're feeling pretty good with how we're sailing."
He's wary of what's coming, though.
"Taking it to Ben and James is going to be a big task. But I'm sure the boys in front of me will be able to deal with it."
The RS21s present a different test to the Elliott 7s used at the NSW championship. Tilly pointed to rig power, crew weight movement and manoeuvrability as the key differences. "All round they're pretty fun boats, and I think that'll be displayed out this weekend," he said.
Crafoord's path to the NSW title wasn't straightforward. He trailed Hayhoe 2-0 in a five-race final before winning three straight, then beat Tilly 3-2 in the semis.
He expects another close contest in Geelong. "Louis won the pre-event, and James is going good having won some regattas, so yeah it should be good, and should be tight competition," Crafoord said.
Training in Geelong today left him impressed by the smaller boats. "They're a lot lighter and quicker, and a bit more manoeuvrable," he said. "Bit more like a 29er or a dinghy, so that's nice. They're good boats, and we enjoyed them today."
Tilly sees value beyond this week's result. "On the water, the rivalry is quite tight," he said. "To be able to hopefully get on that circuit and do bigger regattas is always the goal, I guess."
Rounding out the entry list are Massimo Henderson (Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron), Fraser Baker (Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia), Angus Cameron (Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club) and Digby Taylor (Mornington Yacht Club).
The championship is presented by DYSC Marine Supplies, with support from Garner Marine Services and Bull Sails, and hosted by Royal Geelong Yacht Club in conjunction with Australian Sailing.
Racing runs through to Sunday, when the national title will be decided.
