2026 Musto Australian Optimist Championship at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania - Overall
by Jane Austin / RYCT Media 15 Jan 11:54 GMT
9-15 January 2026
Sydney's Walter Heeley has been crowned the 2026 Australian Optimist Open Champion after a blistering week of sailing on the River Derwent in Hobart.
Heeley, from the Woollahra Sailing Club (WSC), was almost untouchable throughout the regatta scoring six wins from eleven races, and finishing the final day in style (1,2,2), to complete the regatta on a total of 12 points.
Nicholas Cooper from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club/Fremantle Sailing Club (FSC) in Western Australia was runner-up to Heeley after closing the gap during the last two days of the final's series, but even with a second drop kicking in after the eleventh race, it wasn't enough with Cooper finishing on a net score of 42 points.
Helley was thrilled with his win, which was a dream come true for the young sailor who clearly has a very bright future.
'I'm feeling super amazing, really really happy.
"It was a really tough regatta but I'm really glad about my result.
"I've had a lot of really close misses before which didn't quite go my way, but this one definitely did.
Heeley felt that it was his last day of sailing that got him across the line.
"It was probably just my last few races today that really sealed the deal.
"We got a range of conditions to sail in over the week which was really good," said Heeley.
William Rogers, the 2025 Optimist Open Champion also from WSC, finished in third place overall on 56 points.
South Australia's Toby Phillips finished the regatta in fourth place on 58 points, two points clear of Balthazar Roche who scored a DNF in the ninth race which cost him dearly in the final placings, finishing on 60 points.
Sijia Deng from Hunters Hill Sailing Club was the first female in the Open Gold Fleet, finishing in 12th place overall on 75 points.
The top five sailors qualify for the Australian Optimist Sailing Team which heads to Morocco in June.
Luca Von Bibra from Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron won the Silver Fleet on 139 points, two points ahead of Jessica Higgins from the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club in South Australia, who was also the first female to finish, on 141 points.
Aurelia Wilson from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS) maintained her third position overnight, finishing the regatta on 153 points.
There was some shuffling on the leaderboard in the Intermediate Fleet with Huon Jones from the Maroochy Sailing Club (MSC) having a great day on the water (1,6), finishing the day on 38 points, two points ahead of Fabio Moeller on 40 points.
Isabel Yu from the RSYS also had a solid day on the water, winning the last race of the regatta, finishing in third place overall, and was the first female in this division.
Victoria's Ace Hill found the River Derwent and Optimist sailing to his liking, winning ten of the sixteen races sailed, and maintaining a score card of single digits.
The Green Fleet is very much an introduction to Optimist sailing with the emphasis on having fun, getting around the course, learning about the dinghy and sailing rules in general, and finishing races.
Hill finished the week on 17 points, with Hamish King from the RQYS in second place on 31 points, while Max Von Bibra from RQYS edged out Jack Jones to finish on third, with both finishing on 36 points.