Entries closing for the 2025 SB20 Australian Championship
by Jane Austin 16 Feb 22:43 GMT
21-23 February 2025
Some of the SB20 fleet in action in the 2024 Australian Championship at Beauty Point © Jane Austin
Sailors are encouraged to get their entries in for the 2025 SB20 Australian Championship with late entries closing on Wednesday the 19th of February.
This year's championship will be sailed as part of the Banjo's Shoreline Crown Series Bellerive Regatta, hosted by the Bellerive Yacht Club.
Fourteen entries have been received so far with the lineup including world champions from the open, youth, and women's divisions and several competitors who have finished in the top five in the world in this highly competitive class.
In a break from the usual format, and to align with the Crown Series program, there will be back-to-back races late Friday afternoon with ten races scheduled over the three-day regatta.
Several sailors have rejoined the Class with the energy generated from the SB20 World Championship held in Singapore last month serving as the catalyst for this renewed interest.
Sarah Reynolds (16) from Hobart, skipper of the Fahan School Alumni entry from the Derwent Sailing Squadron, is excited about racing in her first SB20 Australian Championship.
Reynolds started sailing dinghies as part of the Tackers program at age seven before moving into the International Cadet Class as crew.
Fast forward to 2025 and Reynolds is not only helming an SB20 against the world's best, but in August she will represent Australia at the 2025 International Cadet World Championship in the Czech Republic.
"Dinghy sailing has given me a good introduction on what sailing is really like, on how to read wind conditions, and how to manoeuvre a boat.
"Moving into school racing, I was introduced to the SB20 Class as crew and now I have moved into helming. It's been good to have such strong development through our school program," said Reynolds.
The SB20 is a one-design sports boat with crews of three or four under the maximum limit of 270 kg, with the Fahan Alumni Association providing support to the SB20 program at the school.
Reynolds is sailing in the Australian Championship with Dad William, who is also the team's sailing coach, Islay Smith (14 years) and Aviya Lincoln Lomax (15 years) and is confident that everything is coming together at the perfect time in preparation for the regatta.
Reynolds sails regularly with her father but candidly admits that it's not always smooth sailing onboard.
"I love sailing with Dad. We do clash a bit sometimes, we can both be a bit stubborn, so sometimes I'll say we should tack now, or the left side is favoured, and he'll be like, keep going, keep going, so it can be a bit tricky as to whose opinion should be followed, but I have a lot of trust in Dad who has a fair bit of sailing under his belt," said Reynolds.
"I'm very excited to experience a big competitive fleet, especially with the boats coming back from the worlds in Singapore.
"As a young female helm, it's good to compete against some of the top males in the world and to show other young female sailors that you don't have to be the best in your sport to compete at this level," said Reynolds.
Racing starts at 4pm on Friday the 21st of February and concludes Sunday the 23rd.
2025 SB20 Australian Championship preview to come.