2026 Musto Australian Optimist Championship at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania - Day 2
by Jane Austin / RYCT Media 12 Jan 00:26 UTC
9-15 January 2026
The River Derwent was brimming with smiling but determined faces for the start of racing in the 2026 Musto Australian Optimist Championship in Hobart today.
While yesterday's racing was blown out due to strong winds, today's conditions offered a mixed bag for the young Optimist sailors.
The Open Fleet of 90 boats, which is racing a qualifying series and has been split into two fleets, started Race One in a steady breeze of about ten knots with the fleet getting to the top mark with good speed, only for the breeze to soften just after the first boat rounded.
In the Yellow Fleet, Tate Cantwell led for the entire race, winning the first race of the day by a healthy margin, but copped a UFD in the second race to finish the day on 47 points.
Cantwell wasn't alone, with regatta favourite Walter Heeley from Woollahra Sailing Club (WSC) one of five sailors also penalised for being too eager on the start line in Race Two.
The Race Committee delayed the start of the Open Fleet's next race as they waited for the fluctuating breeze to settle, which it finally did with a solid sea breeze providing excellent conditions for Race Two.
Luca De Giosa from the Hunters Hill Sailing Club in New South Wales (NSW) is leading overall in the Open Fleet qualifying series with a first and a second place today, putting himself in a great position early in the regatta on three points.
Balthazar Roche from WSC had a consistent day with a third and fourth in Open Pink Fleet to be in second place on seven points.
Reid Martin, Emma Tomkins and last year's winner Williams Rogers are each on ten points after the first day of sailing and will be looking to consolidate when they hit the water tomorrow.
In the Intermediate Fleet, which has 40 entries and does not require a qualifying series, Isabel Yu from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron is leading after the first day with a win in Race One and a ninth in Race Two putting her on 10 points.
Lachlan King, from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, is in second place on 11 points, with Club mate Jack Sturm in third place on 15 points.
Sixteen young Optimist sailors were on the start line of the Green Fleet today which had much milder conditions closer into the shore, although the wind did flick around a little which gave them something to think about.
The youngsters were chatting and really enjoying their time on the water as they put into practise their sailing theory and gained regatta experience.
Victoria's Ash Hill, and Queenslanders Hamish King and Ace Hill sailed well today to be in first, second and third place, but the emphasis with this bunch of newcomers is not podium places, it is about 'finishing races with smiling faces'.
Four race days remain in the regatta with racing getting under way at 1300 tomorrow.
The Optimist dinghy is a one-design single sailor dinghy used globally for learn-to-sail programs and competitive racing, with many Olympic champions starting in Optis.
The event runs from the 9th to the 15th of January 2026.
Full results available here.
For more information visit regatta website.