2026 Musto Australian Optimist Championship at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania - Day 5
by Jane Austin / RYCT Media 14 Jan 10:11 UTC
9-15 January 2026
It was a frustrating day for 150 Optimist dinghy sailors and race management today with light winds causing the postponement of sailing for most of the day in the 2026 Musto Australian International Dinghy Championship under way in Hobart.
For the second last day of racing the start time for the Intermediate Fleet was brought forward to take advantage of lighter breezes after the fleet endured a tough day in heavy conditions on the River Derwent yesterday.
But it was a case of careful what you wish for with the breeze dying out to four or five knots soon after the front runners had rounded the first mark, resulting in the race committee shortening the course and postponing the start of the Open Fleet racing.
Overnight leader, Fabio Moeller from the Fremantle Sailing Club (FSC) is still leading the Intermediate Group despite dropping a 16th place today.
Moeller finished the day on 28 points, three points ahead of Huon Jones from Maroochy Sailing Club (MSC), who had a third place today and is quietly closing in on the leader with two races left to sail.
Humphrey Hager from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (RFBYC) is in third on 54 points and Isabel Yu from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS) has also held onto fourth position overall, and is the leading female, on 60 points.
Lachlan King from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (RQYS) is in fifth place on 61 points while Tasmania's Jonathan Molloy from the Tamar Yacht Club relished the softer conditions today, bringing home the win in the only race for the Intermediate Fleet and moving up the leaderboard into sixth place overall on 63 points.
With no consistent breeze in sight, the fleets were sent back to shore to wait for further instructions from the race committee.
Late in the day, the scheduled second race of the day for Intermediate Fleet was cancelled while the Open Gold and Silver Fleets went back into battle, completing one race.
In the Open Gold Fleet, Leo Gillard from New Caledonia had his second win of the regatta, but it is the Woollahra Sailing Club's Walter Heeley who has maintained his stranglehold on the Championship title leading on 11 points, 26 points ahead of Nicholas Cooper from RFBYC/FSC.
2025 Australian Optimist Champion Will Rogers, also from WSC, is in third place overall and is equal with Cooper on 37 points.
Sijia Deng from Hunters Hill Sailing Club is the leading female in the Gold Fleet but a score of 29 today costing her dearly, dropping to ninth place and finishing the day on 54 points.
Luca Von Bibra from RQYS continues to lead the Open Silver Fleet finishing today with 114 points, nine points ahead of Lachlan Prior from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania/Sandy Bay Sailing Club on 123 points.
Aurelia Wilson from the RSYS has moved into third place in Silver Fleet equal with Prior on 123 points and is also the leading female.
Meanwhile, the 17-strong Green Fleet were able to get in three short races on their race course which was a little closer to shore.
Victoria's Ace Hill has taken to Optimist sailing like a fish to water winning all three Green Fleet races today, clearly putting his heart and soul into his efforts on the water and finishing the day on 17 points.
Hamish King from the RQYS is in second place on 28 points while Jack Jones from the MSC is in third place on 30 points.
The Green Fleet was enthusiastic with friendly banter, great spirit, and the sharing of lollies and advice placing these young sailors in good stead for the years ahead.
Tomorrow is the final day of racing in the Championship with up to three races left for the Open and Intermediate Fleets, and three for the Green Fleet.
The Gold Fleet has everything to play for with the top five placegetters qualifying for Australian Optimist Sailing Team selection to contest the 2026 Optimist World Championship in Morocco in June.