Open, youth & women's teams invited to Sail Mooloolaba Match Racing

James Sly and Harry Price in a tight match at Sail Mooloolaba's Australian Youth Match Racing Championship 2015 © Tracey Johnstone

This year's Sail Mooloolaba Match Racing Championship is open to Australian and international teams in the Open, Youth and Women's categories.

The May 20 to 22 event was originally targeted at youth sailors, but several Open teams have said they want to come to Mooloolaba, some of them to return, where the competition is fierce and the venue challenging.

Mooloolaba Yacht Club conducts the annual event on the club-owned Elliott 6s on Mooloolah River, in the area immediately adjacent to the centre of Mooloolaba town. The course is tight which ensures the skippers boat handling skills along with his or her crew's tactical skills are put to the test. The wind often bounces off the large houses off one shore or The Wharf tourist precinct on the other.

Spectators are entertained throughout the matches as the teams race their boats so close to the shoreline their calls can be heard clearly and the occasional grim face shows the tension of the competition.

The championship is limited to eight teams with the event organiser retaining the right to make the final decision on which club team nominations will be accepted by the close off date of April 22.

An application has been lodged with World Sailing for Match Racing event Level 4 grading.

The Notice of Race is online and available from www.sailmooloolaba.com.

Inter-state competitors can fly directly into the Sunshine Coast on QantasLink, Jetstar, Virgin or Tiger Airways. Newport Apartments are offering a special accommodation package when Mooloolaba Yacht Club is quoted at the time of booking.

For more championship information, go to www.sailmooloolaba.com