Australian Sailing Team wraps up five-week block in Los Angeles
by Lisa Darmanin / Australian Sailing Team 9 Aug 06:29 BST
3-8 August 2026
Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown during the San Pedro OCR © Lexi Pline / US Sailing Team
The San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta wrapped up today in Los Angeles, marking the conclusion of a five-week training and competition block for the Australian Sailing Team National Squads on the LA 2028 Olympic waters. This included three separate Sailing Grand Slam events, giving athletes across all ten Olympic classes valuable racing time where they will compete in 2028.
Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown finished fifth overall in the Nacra 17 after a strong week of racing out of the Port of Los Angeles. Teammates Archie Gargett and Sarah Hoffman were close behind in ninth, securing another top-10 finish for the pair this season.
"It was a pretty challenging week, two days inside and the rest outside are two very different racecourses," Liddell explained. "Conditions that will suit us, but we just didn't quite execute. However, we finished the regatta top five so pretty happy with that."
The Paris 2024 Olympians know just how important it is to gain these insights at the Olympic venue. "It was absolutely amazing being able to get some time on the water on the LA course," said Brown. "Quite similar to a few places at home, so it's nice to know that we've been working in the right kind of conditions. Just need to execute a few starts, so we'll be going home to work on that a little bit prior to 2028."
On what's up next for the Australian Nacra 17 squad, Liddel shared, "Going back home now and we'll probably be home for the whole summer really. It's a big domestic season of training.
"There are only a few boats in Australia but we're going to have a few international teams come across, create a nice tight-knit training group. Heaps of time on the water and enjoy that sunshine back home."
In the 49erFX, Tash Bryant stepped in for Laura Harding alongside Annie Wilmot, with the pair advancing to the Finals Series and gaining valuable experience on the future Olympic medal deciding course. Squad members Brooke Wilson and Evie Haseldine rounded out their event in 15th overall.
Harry Price and Max Paul narrowly missed out on the Finals Series, finishing 11th overall and just one point outside the top 10. The pair had a strong start to the regatta, spending much of the opening half of the event in podium contention before finding the second half more challenging.
The team used the extended period in California to build essential knowledge of the two Olympic sailing venues that will feature at LA 2028. Across the block, athletes, coaches and support staff gathered valuable insights on the water while continuing to build relationships and infrastructure on land ahead of 2028. Two visits from the Australian Olympic Committee also helped progress planning and strengthen connections on the ground.
The work in LA is far from finished, but the five-week block has provided another important step in understanding what it will take to perform on these waters in 2028, with the lessons and experience gathered now feeding into the team's long-term Olympic preparation.
Full results can be found here
Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Squad (AS Squad), Australian Sailing Futures (ASF),and other Australian (AUS) results at the San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta:
Nacra 17 (21 entries)
5th - Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown (AST)
9th - Archie Gargett and Sarah Hoffman (AST)
15th - Jake Liddell and Niamh Meehan (AS Squad)
49er (31 entries)
11th - Harry Price / Max Paul (AST)
20th - Kurt Hansen / Charlie Zeeman (ASF)
49erFX (18 entries)
10th - Tash Bryant (AUS) / Annie Wimot (AS Squad)
15th - Brooke Wilson (ASF) / Evie Haseldine (AS Squad)