Sail Melbourne Delivers Classic Port Phillip Challenge for Australia's Best

Sail Melbourne 2025 - Matt Wearn back in action © Down Under Sail

Sail Melbourne once again demonstrated why Port Phillip is known for world-class racing, serving up a full mix of conditions across four demanding days. Hosted by Royal Brighton Yacht Club, the multiclass regatta brought together Olympians, emerging talent and international competitors for one of the biggest events on Australia's summer sailing calendar.

Olympic champion Matt Wearn made a strong return to the ILCA7, winning his first event back since the Games. Reflecting on the week, Wearn said, "There are a lot of holes that need to be filled. The last time I raced the boat was at the Games and it's really nice to be back racing and seeing how the other guys have improved over the last 18 months. They're pushing me all the way and overall, I'm pretty happy."

Looking ahead to a busy summer, he added, "I definitely need a bit of a break to recover from the last four days, but we're planning a big training block here in Melbourne up until Christmas. Then we've got our nationals in the new year in Hobart. That's the rest of the domestic summer, and I'm looking forward to getting back to racing in Hobart."

In the ILCA6, Australian Sailing Team athlete Zoe Thomson was the top-placed Australian, finshing in fifth, with a strong international field claiming the podium positions.

Olympic silver medallist Grae Morris dominated the iQFOiL fleet, securing the win ahead of teammate Rory Meehan in second. Olympians Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown took out the Nacra 17 fleet, while local Victorian Laura Harding and crewmate Annie Wilmot claimed victory in the 49erFX.

Sail Melbourne 2025 - Otto Henry and Shaun Connor heading down the mine - photo © Down Under Sail

In the 49er, Otto Henry and Shaun Connor delivered a consistent regatta to secure the win. Henry said, "It went pretty well. We had two windy days and one light wind day and nine races, so we're happy to get that many races. It wasn't a promising forecast on the final day. But we're happy with how we performed across the conditions and it was good fun, and a well organised event."

Looking ahead, Connor shared their upcoming plans: "We are actually going to put our boats in a container and go across the ditch to New Zealand. We're going to do some training with the New Zealand guys throughout January and February and then we're over to Europe for our first international event in Palma."

Australian Sailing Team Technical Director Michael Blackburn praised both the sailors and the organisers, saying, "Great to see our squads across all classes battle it out in marvelous Melbourne winds and waves that provided challenging racing in mostly moderate to fresh conditions. The organisers also did well to get the ILCA finals races in under a new format despite a Sunday that delivered winds of 5-25kts and shifts of 90 degrees under rain squalls."

Sail Melbourne once again cemented its place as a cornerstone of Australia's sailing calendar, providing valuable racing for the nation's top sailors to kick off the domestic season and gear up for the following season of international competition.

Full results can be found here.

Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Squad (AS Squad), and Australian Sailing Futures (ASF) results at Sail Melbourne:

ILCA 6 - 53 Entries
5th - Zoe Thomson (AST)
6th - Mara Stransky (AST)
9th - Casey Imeneo (AS Squad)
12th - Evie Saunders (AS Squad)
23rd - Lili McAullay (ASF)
49th - Ellen Sampson (ASF)

ILCA 7 - 27 Entries
1st - Matt Wearn (AST)
2nd - Zac Littlewood (AST)
4th - Ethan McAullay (AST)
6th - Edward Reid (ASF)
7th - Michael Compton (AS Squad)
9th - Lawson McAullay (AS Squad)
10th - Isaac Schotte (AS Squad)

iQFOiL Men's - 17 Entries
1st - Grae Morris (AST)
2nd - Rory Meehan (AS Squad)
5th - Philip Cripsey (ASF)

iQFOiL Women's - 2 Entries
1st - Amelia Wilson (ASF)
2nd - Anna Cripsey (ASF)

49er - 7 Entries
1st - Otto Henry and Shaun Connor (AS Squad)
2nd - Harry Price and Max Paul (AS Squad)
3rd - Jack Ferguson and Jack Hilderbrand (AS Squad)
4th - Kurt Hansen and Jacob Marks (ASF)
7th - Daniel Links and Keizo Tomishima (ASF)

49erFX - 6 Entries
1st - Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot (AS Squad)
2nd - Brooke Wilson (ASF) and Evie Haseldine (AS Squad)
5th - Eva Atwood and Darcy Robbins (ASF)

Mixed 470 - 7 Entries
1st - Ben Hinks and Fallon Katz (ASF)
2nd - Sienna Brown and Ellis Merrett (ASF)
4th - Sophie Jackson and Austin Cross (ASF)

Nacra 17 - 3 Entries
1st - Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown (AST)
2nd - Archie Gargett and Sarah Hoffman (AS Squad)
3rd - Jake Liddell and Niamh Meehan (AS Squad)