Please select your home edition
Edition
Musto 2023 HPX LEADERBOARD

2025 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championships at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron

by Lisa Darmanin 8 Jan 11:13 GMT 1-8 January 2025
Mara Stransky during the 2025 ILCA Oceania and Australian Championship © Mike Middleton

After 12 races showcasing a vast range of conditions on the waters off Manly in Brisbane, Zac Littlewood and Mara Stransky have emerged victorious at the 2025 ILCA Oceania and Australian Championship in the ILCA7 and ILCA6 classes, respectively.

The competition began with strong south-easterly winds, testing the sailors' limits. As the week progressed, the winds eased, transitioning to a lighter and more tactical easterly breeze, challenging the fleet's strategic skills.

On home waters, local legend and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Mara Stransky clinched the ILCA6 title. Her consistent performance throughout the series earned her the Australian crown. Stransky topped the leaderboard, with Paris 2024 Olympian Zoe Thomson finishing second and rising star Evie Saunders from the Australian Sailing Pathway Team coming in third overall.

As a member of the host club, Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, Stransky explained, "Our course area was right underneath Green Island, which is not the normal race area here at RQ for ILCAs. So, I was feeling as unfamiliar as everyone else I guess. It was very tricky and shifty and a really good test of all-round sailing skills, because you couldn't be a one-trick pony out there. It was very hard."

Stransky reflected on her victory in such a strong fleet, "It was really tight racing between the five Australian Sailing squad members, and we were lucky enough to have some international competitors coming and spicing things up as well, alongside some of the young boys who are also providing some good racing."

In the ILCA7 category, Western Australian Zac Littlewood battled fiercely for every point. His determination paid off in the final race, securing the win and advancing ahead of Dutch competitor Duko Bos. The two sailors finished on equal points, but Littlewood claimed the championship on a countback.

Littlewood shared what it means to write his name alongside a few gold medallists, "Someone told me that it would be a different name on the trophy for the first time in 10 or 12 years, so it's great to join that list along with Matt (Wearn) and Tom (Burton)."

However, he did not shy away from the battle he had on his hands to take the overall win, "To win it on the last race against Duko was also quite nice. I kind of had it (the Australian title) wrapped up the race before, but to get the overall win against Duko, I think that means more than just taking out the Australian Championship."

Whilst delighted with the win, Littlewood remains focused continual improvement, "I'm happy to take out this week. It's been the target for the last six months to try and win this event to kind of get into the rhythm for Europe later this year. It feels great, but the next thing is in just a few months."

With the Australian Championship behind them, both Littlewood and Stransky alongside the national squad will now focus on domestic training to fine-tune their skills before heading overseas in March for the international competition circuit. Their performances in Brisbane have set a strong foundation, and they aim to carry this momentum into the European season

Full results can be found here.

Related Articles

ILCA UK Youth Series at Parkstone
45 sailors enjoy sparkling conditions in Poole Harbour Poole Harbour was at its best for the third round of the ILCA UK Youth Series hosted by Parkstone Yacht Club and sponsored by Harken. Posted on 2 Jul
2025 Suzuki ILCA Master Europeans overall
Jon Emmett and Orlando Gledhill are crowned champions at Hayling island The 2025 Suzuki ILCA Master European Championships concluded today in Hayling Island, Great Britain, after five days of competition and nine races held for both fleets. A strong wind was expected, but conditions turned out to be lighter than forecast. Posted on 20 Jun
2025 Suzuki ILCA Master Europeans day 3
Canadian sailor Maura Dewey has recovered the top ILCA 6 position With conditions very similar to the previous two days, the third day of racing at the 2025 Suzuki ILCA Master European Championships in Hayling Island concluded with two new races added to the score, bringing the total to six as scheduled. Posted on 19 Jun
2025 Suzuki ILCA Master Europeans day 2
2-hour postponement on shore due to lack of wind The second day of racing successfully concluded at the 2025 Suzuki ILCA Master European Championships in Hayling Island, Great Britain. Posted on 18 Jun
2025 Suzuki ILCA Master Europeans Day 1
Ideal sailing conditions at Hayling Island, UK The 2025 Suzuki ILCA Master European Championships officially kicked off on Monday in Hayling Island, Great Britain. With ideal sailing conditions, both of the scheduled races were completed in the afternoon. Posted on 17 Jun
ILCA Women's Coaching Weekend at Weymouth
Sailors thrive in 'champagne to fruity' conditions ILCA sailors from as far away as Norwich gathered in Weymouth when The Andrew Simpson Performance Academy hosted the ILCA Women's Coaching Programme led by Georgina Povall and supported by Molly Sacker from the British Sailing Team. Posted on 3 Jun
ILCA Women's Coaching Weekend at King George SC
Sailing, skills, and sunshine - thanks to SailingFast and Wildwind King George Sailing Club played host to an ILCA Women's Coaching Programme, welcoming sixteen female sailors from as far away as Lancashire and East Anglia ranging from 14 year olds to, err, ladies of a certain age, all excited to learn together. Posted on 20 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds overall
The northern wind arrives - Qingdao's final challenge Today marks the final day of the 2025 ILCA World Championships. While the champions have yet to be crowned, Qingdao's signature northern wind has already unfurled the curtain on the ultimate showdown. Posted on 17 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 5
Clearing Skies and Fresh Breezes: Racing Finally Begins in Qingdao After four consecutive days of still air and thick fog, the ILCA World Championships in Qingdao finally saw its first official races on Day 5. Posted on 16 May
ILCA Women's Coaching Programme goes international
Sailors aged age 14 - 60 enjoyed a great week in Greece Maartje van Dam, Chief Instructor at Wildwind explained, "We have sponsored the ILCA Women's Coaching Programme in the UK from the beginning and saw the opportunity to offer a whole week of coaching with our first Women's ILCA Clinic at Wildwind. Posted on 16 May