This past weekend, the 2025 Victorian ILCA Open and Youth Championships were held at Royal Geelong Yacht Club.

This is a Race Report by Peter Ellenby. I defer to Steve Mackay as the usual scribe and cannot hope to match his wit and entertaining writing. I think you can tell I worked in IT.

Unfortunately, my knee has been acting up, so I was unable to sail. Instead, I had the opportunity to serve as a Race Officer on the Finish Boat. This proved to be an excellent position — in the centre of the course, allowing us to watch all the sailors while being sheltered from the rain. For us older sailors, the presence of a toilet on board was a valuable amenity.

A total of 76 ILCA sailors participated in the regatta, with 42 in the ILCA6 class and 26 in the ILCA4 class. It was wonderful to see so many young sailors, and it seemed that gender equity was quite close, indicating a strong future for the class and the sport.

Col Dods, well-known at IHYC through Sail Bellarine, served as the Principal Race Officer, successfully managing a very tightly run regatta. Remarkably, there were no general recalls, only one Under-Flag Disqualification (UFD), and no protests against the Race Committee—an almost unheard-of feat at ILCA regattas.

The wind conditions were fair yet variable. On the first day, winds ranged from 5 to 7 knots and constantly shifted. The initial race had a wind heading of 60 degrees, but by mid-afternoon, the wind had shifted south, settling around 150 degrees by 4 PM. The first race went fairly smoothly, with the fleet finishing well spread out.

It took some time to reset the course for the second race and it started without issue for the ILCA7 and ILCA6 classes. However, the wind shifted further south after the start, leading to a procession, and the PRO ultimately abandoned the race after about 30 minutes.

Sunday gave much better conditions for the sailors, with grey skies and southeast winds. The wind oscillated significantly, varying from 150 degrees to over 200 degrees throughout the day, with pockets of stronger winds across the course.

Despite the unpredictable weather, the same names continued to lead the fleet. The Simmons brothers from IHYC excelled, with Aidan Simmons winning the ILCA6 title against strong competition from other states, and Callum securing the ILCA4 title against a determined group of sailors. Both boys dropped a fourth place to win—what a position to be in!

RGYC hosted the event from its new clubhouse, often referred to as the "Taj Mahal." It is spacious and functional, and I hope our upcoming IHYC clubhouse will be just as comprehensive—though perhaps with a bit more character.

Be sure to check out the photos; they capture the essence of the weekend beautifully.