Saturday 16 August delivered a picturesque day on Moreton Bay, with sunshine, flat water and a gentle 5–10 knots. While club racing has not yet commenced, our Youth Squad sailors took full advantage of the conditions during their morning training sessions.

A highlight was the Optimist Intermediate & Open fleets, who trialled a new format, the Saturday Optimist Racing Trial. The concept combined Youth Squad training with morning Optimist club racing on a shorter course than our usual afternoon OTB racing, giving sailors more starts and closer racing.

Our Academy On-Water Coordinator, Alanna Field, summed up the trial:

“Over the past two Saturdays, we held our Opti Trial Racing series, with six exciting short-course races completed. The format made for fast, action-packed sailing and plenty of close finishes, keeping both sailors and spectators on their toes. We had a fantastic turnout with 19 sailors from both Open and Intermediate fleets racing together, creating a great mix of competition and camaraderie on the water.

A huge thank you goes out to our volunteers and Opti parents for their support in running the racing, and to our coaches for doing such a great job preparing and organising the kids. Special thanks to Amanda for coordinating the BBQ after each race day and keeping the sailors fuelled with on-water snacks. Everyone’s efforts made the series a real success.”

Full results are available here: https://app.sailsys.com.au/club/25/results/series/4889/races