Ten young sailors prepare for Iron Pot Sailathon to achieve world championship dreams
by Jane Austin 26 Mar 09:28 GMT
Back row (l-r) Henry McQuillen, Alex Ashbolt, Isaac Archer, Olive Hooper, Sarah Reynolds / Front row: Thomas Pitt, Lachie Prior, Archie McQuillen, Samantha Archer, Harriet Hogan © Shona Prior
Ten young sailors from the Sandy Bay Sailing Club (SBSC) and the International Cadet Class of Tasmania are preparing to embark on their longest ever sail to raise money to support their trip to the 2025 International Cadet World Championship in the Czech Republic in August.
The sailors, aged between nine and 16 years and all members of the Australian team, will sail five International Cadets in an epic trip from the SBSC to the Iron Pot Lighthouse at the mouth of the River Derwent, and return.
Tasmanian members of the Australian team competing in the 2025 World Championship and the Iron Pot Sailathon are:
- Isaac Archer (14) and Archie McQuillen (12) (Shmoken)
- Alex Ashbolt (14) and Lachie Prior (12) (Incognito)
- Olive Hooper (14) and Samantha Archer (14) (Executioner)
- Henry McQuillen (15) and Thomas Pitt (12) (Upshift), and
- Sarah Reynolds (16) and Harriet Hogan (9) (Stoked)
The Iron Pot Sailathon will take place on Saturday 12 April 2025.
The Tasmanian contingent is hoping to raise $5,000 from the Iron Pot Sailathon to offset some of the costs associated with the international event.
For boats more used to sailing back-to-back short races on the River Derwent, the Iron Pot Sailathon is a huge step up in time and distance, with the 18 nautical miles (33 kilometres) journey expected to take between four to nine hours depending on the wind and weather conditions.
For perspective, the International Cadet is just over 3.2 metres long, 1.38 metres wide, and weighs a mere 54 kilograms with only two sailors onboard, one helm and one crew.
The Iron Pot Sailathon is considered an endurance training event for the young sailors.
Nine-year old Tasmanian sailor Harriet Hogan, one of the youngest sailors in the Australian team, has been training hard in her boat 'Stoked' alongside helm, Sarah Reynolds.
"I really enjoyed the recent Australian Championship and I'm so excited to be competing in a World Championship with Sarah," said Hogan.
The ambitious fundraising event was sailor Isaac Archer's idea and is based on a similar sail that was undertaken in 2014.
"I was interested in an 'Iron Pot Sail' completed by a previous club member and thought it would be an amazing challenge," said 16-year-old Archer.
The sailors are seeking support from family, friends, businesses and the broader community to help them achieve their dream through tax-deductible donations which can be made via the Australian Sports Foundation link here.
Emma Hooper, Chair of the International Cadet Class of Australia, is confident the Tasmanian contingent will do well in Europe.
"It is fantastic to see these ten International Cadet sailors from the SBSC working hard to be able to represent themselves, their Club and Australia at the World Championship in August.
"The Iron Pot Sailathon will be a great adventure, which will further build team spirit and hopefully raise some funds to assist with their campaign," said Hooper.
SBSC Commodore Jory Linscott is pleased to be backing the event.
"The Sandy Bay Sailing Club is really excited to support the Sailathon and we are extremely proud to have ten sailors from our Club representing Australia on the world stage.
"Our Club has an amazing legacy in the International Cadet Class with multiple national and world champions and there is a real belief that the next world champion crew is in this group.
"The Sailathon is not only a great fundraising opportunity, it also serves as a great learning opportunity to understand how important endurance is when competing at the highest level.
"World Championships can have long days on the water and the requirement to back up day after day is what sets the top sailors apart from the rest of the fleet," said Linscott.
Tasmania's Paul Burnell won back-to-back world titles in 1986 and '87 and believes that this endurance training event will provide critical experience for those targeting a world championship win.
"Sailing from Sandy Bay down to the Iron Pot and back in open water in a small dinghy is a great lead-up event for the 2025 World Championship.
"The Sailathon requires planning, resilience and determination, all elements that will be tested in the worlds, and with the talent from across the globe likely to very similar on the start line, the mental discipline and physical strength that the Tasmanians have developed could be the key to their success," said Burnell.
The young sailors are encouraging their supporters to cheer them on from the beach in front of the Sandy Bay Sailing Club at 7:30am for the start of the Sailathon.
The Tasmanian sailors, who make up half of the Australian team which was selected after the 2025 Australian Championship in January, will compete in the 2025 World Championship at Lake Lipno in the Czech Republic from 1-9 August 2025.
The team will compete against crews from other countries including Argentina, Belgium, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, India, The Netherlands, Poland and Ukraine.