2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championship in Hobart - Day 5
by Jane Austin / RYCT Media 7 Jan 10:41 GMT
3-8 January 2026
Queensland's Mara Stransky is the leading Australian female sailor in the ILCA 6 Gold Fleet competing in the 2026 Oceania and Australian Open and Youth Championships in Hobart.
Stransky, a member of the Australian Sailing Team (AST), had a seventh in Race 9 and a second place in Race Ten to finish the day on 27 points, putting her in third place overall.
Stransky is sitting three points clear of fellow AST sailor, Western Australia's Zoe Thomson, on 30 points, with Sylvie Stannage one point further back in fifth place and on 31 points.
Leading the ILCA 6 event overall is Belgium's Emma Plasschaert on 11 points from Hungary's Maria Erdi on 12 points, who didn't contest the last race today due to gear failure.
Principal Race Officer Colin Dods gave an update on the movers in the fleet today.
"Mara Stransky has jumped up after dropping a seven in the Finals Series, with four of those races completed for the split (qualifying/finals) series, so she's really kicked on with a net of 27 points.
Jasper Stay has had another consistent day on the water (4,4) putting him in fourth place overall in the ILCA 6 Gold Fleet and is the leading Australian male.
"Stay is representing the state of WA very well, he's an Under 19 sailor, and you'd have to say that the future is looking bright for him.
"Aidan Simmons from Victoria has just squeezed into the top ten there, he's doing very well and has improved a lot since last year in what is his second Nationals in the ILCA 6.
It was a stunning day on the River Derwent with a consistent south-south easterly breeze of 10 to 15 knots, good wave conditions, blue sky and stunning clouds providing the perfect backdrop for more champagne sailing in Hobart.
A second discard has come into effect after Race Ten which has resulted in some small movements on the leaderboard,
In the ILCA 7 fleet, it's the AST sailors from Western Australia, that are dominating the podium with only one day of racing left in the regatta.
Matt Wearn has maintained his lead with a tenth and a first place, dropping the tenth place and finishing the day on 13 points.
Zac Littlewood had a better day on the water than Wearn, with a first and a fourth place, putting him on 23 points.
Ethan McAullay is in third place on 31 points after a third and a ninth today, with Duko Bos from The Netherlands moving up to fourth place overall on 35 points.
"With two drops behind them and two races left in the regatta, things are starting to sort themselves out," said Principal Race Officer, Colin Dods.
"The courses were so well set that when they go through the gates it's a 50:50 split down the bottom.
"When they are left with an out and out choice they have to make at the gate, it seems they don't know which way to choose so they're just going either way, which is a good sign that the course is well set," said Dods.
Ireland's Finn Lynch is in fifth place on 42 points, seven points ahead of Tasmania's Eddie Reid on 49 points in sixth.
The big move has been in the ILCA 4 Class, with early leader Thomas Cooper from Western Australia having a stirling day on the water with two bullets propelling him back into first place, and setting the scene for a show down on the final day.
"It's fortress WA on top of the leaderboard... Thomas Cooper has had two bullets today so that's taken him to a total of 29 points, but he's been able to drop a seven which means that he and Victorian Callum Simmons, who is in second place, are on equal net 18 points, so it's everything to play for tomorrow for those two," said Dods.
Queensland's Harry Hogan is in third position on 25 points.
The ILCA 4 caters for the up-and-coming sailors transitioning from Optimists or Cadets, with sailors in this Class all under the age of 18 years.
After six straight days of sailing, the youngsters will need to dig deep on the final day.
"They are all under 18 so it will be a test of their resilience, both mental and physical, and will be really interesting to see how they sail head-to-head tomorrow," said Dods.
All eyes will be on these two highly talented and consistent sailors as they battle for the ILCA 4 championship title.
The final day of racing gets under way at 1300 on the Alpha Course and 1330 on the Bravo course tomorrow.
Full results can be found here.
For more information visit the event website.