Australian Sailors ready to tackle Kiel Week

ILCA6 Squad © Beau Outteridge

Australia's Olympic class sailors are set to tackle Kiel Week, the third event within the five event Sailing Grand Slam, held in the north of Germany. Now in its 144th year, the iconic regatta is a mainstay of the European calendar, renowned for its rich history, world-class competition, and famously unpredictable conditions.

Set on the Baltic Sea, sailors will face everything from light summer breezes to strong winds and steep chop, a true "anything can happen" event.

The ILCA classes are expected to be among the most competitive this week. Fresh off the World Championships in China, ILCA7 bronze medallist Zac Littlewood headlines the Aussie entries in a 162-strong fleet. He's joined by a strong group of Australians ready to continue building momentum on the international circuit. In the ILCA6 the Australian National Squad is ready to battle it out in the 99-boat fleet. This national squad has had a solid start to the season with Zoe Thomson topping the podium in Palma followed by Elyse Ainsworth's seventh place finish at Worlds.

Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot return to competition following their top-10 finish at the European Championship in the 49erFX. The pair will face off against 50 other boats in a stacked fleet as they prepare for their World Championships later this year.

In the 49er Otto Henry and Shaun Connor continue their international racing as they build experience as a pair and apply lessons from the recent European Championship. The pair will line up against 80 other boats in what promises to be a high-intensity contest.

Whilst the ILCAs and skiff will race from the 21st to the 25th of June, racing in the Mixed classes begins on 25th June and will run through to 29th June. The Nacra 17 fleet may be smaller in numbers, but with just 14 entries, every race will carry medal-race intensity - ideal practice for the full Australian squad with four teams flying the flag in the foiling multihull class.

Australian Sailing Team Technical Director Michael Blackburn shared just why Kiel provides a great platform for international competition, "Kiel Week is one of sailing's legendary regattas, held during the longest days of the year, you're almost guaranteed good racing conditions. It's a brilliant opportunity for sailors to sharpen their skills against strong international fleets as they build towards major events later in the season."

Throughout the week results can be found here.

Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Pathway Team (ASPT), Australian Sailing Futures (ASF) and other Australian entries (AUS) at the Kiel Week:

ILCA6 - 99 Entries

Elyse Ainsworth (AST)
Mara Stransky (AST)
Zoe Thomson (AST)
Casey Imeneo (ASPT)
Sylvie Stannage (ASF)
Lili McAullay (ASF)

ILCA7 - 162 Entries

Zac Littlewood (AST)
Ethan McAullay (ASPT)
Lawson McAullay (ASF)
Alexander Bijkerk (ASF)
Michael Compton (ASF)
Isaac Schotte (ASF)
Charles Allen Toyn (AUS)
Hamish Gilsenan (AUS)

49er - 80 Entries

Otto Henry and Shaun Connor (ASPT)

49erFX - 51 Entries

Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot (AST)

Nacra 17 - 14 Entries

Ruben Booth and Rita Booth (ASPT)
Archie Gargett and Sarah Hoffman (ASPT)
Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown (ASPT)
Jake Liddell (ASPT) and Niamh Meehan (ASF)