Aussie sailors crossing the world for the Medemblik Regatta in Netherlands
by Medemblik Regatta 9 Feb 2018 22:10 GMT
22-26 May 2018
Jake Lilley at Medemblik Regatta (formerly Delta Lloyd Regatta) © Sander van der Borch
The Medemblik Regatta will be held from the 22nd to the 26th of May 2018 in Medemblik, the Netherlands. Jake Lilley and Jacinta Ainsworth will represent Australia in this regatta.
For Finn sailor Lilley it's already the third time he's participating in the Dutch regatta. Laser Radial sailor Ainsworth is traveling to Medemblik for the first time.
Regarding the traveling time, the Australian sailors are making a big effort to come to Medemblik. For Lilley it's not the first time he's competing at this regatta. He's combining his visit with several other European sailing events. His biggest achievements in sailing are the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the America's Cup in 2017. For Ainsworth her career is just starting, although she already has an impressive track record.
Ainsworth is back and ready for racing
In 2015 the Laser Radial sailor was Australia's number one Youth Sailor, she competed at several youth regattas and the World Cup in Melbourne. She stepped out of the boat for 18 months to focus on her studies. Since the Australian summer she is back into sailing, ready for some competition. This year she competed at Sail Sydney, placing 2nd, and finished top 5 female in both Sail Melbourne and the Nationals.
"Right now I am working hard on fitness, strength and technical aspects of sailing again which I'm thoroughly enjoying. I plan to compete in the French Nationals, Europeans, World Cup in Hyères and the Medemblik Regatta. After all this I'm heading back to Australia to complete my final preparation praise for the World Championships in Aarhus."
Perfect training event for Lilley
Lilley is also preparing for this World Championships and uses the Medemblik Regatta as an training event. He didn't make it to the regatta last year, since the Finn class wasn't included in the event. Around that time of year he was also busy racing with Artemis Racing team in the America's Cup. Now he is back sailing in the Finn and looking forward to his fourth time at the Medemblik Regatta.
"I hope that this year Medemblik can be a big regatta. It's prefect training and warm-up for the World Championships in Denmark! I'm expecting some great racing and fantastic sailing, as always."