The 2020 Australian Para Sailing Championships will be held as part of the Sail Melbourne International Regatta at Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Melbourne, from Friday 17th to Tuesday 21st January next year.

The Para Sailing Championships will be held in conjunction with Open Fleet racing in the 2.4mR, Hansa 303 and Liberty classes over five days.  Race scores of the teams which include an eligible para sailor will be extracted to decide the Australian Para Sailing Championships.  

A free coaching clinic for all the Para Classes will be held ahead of the Championships will be held on Wednesday and Thursday 15 & 16 January and will be led by Grant Alderson and Mike Darby.  On Thursday the 16th, Para Classification will be available (pre-registration is essential).  All are welcome to the Para Sailing Forum that will be held after sailing on Monday the 20th. 

Chairman for Sail Melbourne, Mark Klemen provided us an overview of the event: “We invite sailors from Australia and overseas to participate in the inclusive open fleets and the Australian Para Sailing Championships being held as part of the Sail Melbourne International this year,” said Mark. “The 2.4mRs, Hansa 303s and Liberties will join fourteen other classes across multiple course areas with racing delivered by experienced race management teams.  Onshore, the hospitality and modern accessible facilities of Royal Brighton Yacht Club are second to none,” he said.

The International 2.4mR class attracts an experienced group of open fleet and para sailors.  Just home from the 2019 2.4mR World Championships in Genoa, Italy, RBYC member Neil Patterson is now commencing preparations for the 2022 Open World Championships that will be held in Melbourne.  

Above image: RBYC sailor Neil Patterson is the reigning Australian Para Sailing Champion in the 2.4 (Beau Outteridge Photo)

Patterson, who is reigning Australian Para Sailing Champion in the 2.4mR, will be joined in Melbourne for the Para Nationals by the 2018 Para World Sailing Champion in the Hansa 303, Chris Symonds.  

Above image: Chris Symonds has won the Australian Para Sailing Championship in the Hansa 303 class in 2018 and 2019 (David Staley Photo)

Symonds, from Wynyard in Tasmania, has maintained a busy competition schedule in the Hansa 303, placing second in the 2019 Para World Sailing Championships in Spain and the European Hansa Class Championships in Portugal this year.  Chris Symonds was recently announced by Australian Sailing as the Sailor of the Year with a Disability.  

The Hansa 303 is also sailed in two-person for the Australian Para Sailing Championships.  Greg and Jacob Williams (QLD) claimed the 2019 Championship from 2018 Champions, Colin and Bradley Alderton (NSW), in Southport during August.  The eligibility criteria allows mixed ability crews to compete for the Para Nationals title and enables the event to include sailors with intellectual disability or low vision.  

Above image: Greg and Jacob Williams (QLD) claimed the 2019 Championship in Southport (David Staley Photo)

The SKUD 18 will not be participating in the Para Nationals this year.  The Australian class championships will be contested as part of the Bartercard Sail Paradise Regatta hosted by Southport Yacht Club from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th January.  This has opened the way for the Hansa Liberty to be included in Melbourne.  

The Liberty is a single-person keelboat that can safely be sailed by people of all abilities.  Servo-electrics enable sailors with profound physical disabilities to compete equally with their able-bodied colleagues.  

A limited number of Hansa 303 and Liberty boats are available for charter from Docklands Yacht Club.  Email docklandsyachtclub@gmail.com for more information.  

“The Australian Para Sailing Championships are an important part of providing competitive pathways for sailors with a wide range of physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities,” said Australian Sailing’s Para Sailing Coordinator, David Staley.

“While sailing is no longer a Paralympic sport, Para Sailing World Championships are held in a number of disciplines and the Australian Para Sailing Championships represent the pinnacle national competition for this group of sailors,” he said.

Australian Para Sailing Championships Schedule
•    Wednesday 15 January – Para Sailing Coaching Program
•    Thursday 16 January – Para Sailing Coaching Program, Para Classification
•    Friday 17 January – Racing
•    Saturday 18 January – Racing
•    Sunday 19 January – Racing
•    Monday 20 January – Racing, Para Sailing Forum
•    Tuesday 21 January – Racing, Prizegiving

The Sail Melbourne website includes important event information, such as race documents, para classification registration and online entry links.  Visit www.sailmelbourne.com.au