After an outstanding international season, it is a clean sweep for the Australian Sailing Team ILCA 6 squad in the Female Sailor of the Year category with Casey Imeneo (VIC), Mara Stransky (QLD) and Zoe Thomson (WA) being announced as the three finalists. 

The squad has worked under the tutelage of Carolijn Brouwer and Ben Walkemeyer this campaign, with some key results international results firmly putting Australia’s squad on the radar of the rest of the world leading into Paris 2024. 

McCrae Yacht Club sailor Casey Imeneo broke through with a string of consistent results in the ILCA 6 class across the 22/23 season, which included an 11th at the European Championships and 21st at the 2022 ILCA 6 World Championships. 

But it would have been hard to predict her stunning Bronze at the French Olympic Week regatta in Hyeres, where she rocked the world-class fleet of 94 boats and made her announcement on the international stage. Casey had arrived. 

Across the season Imeneo posted all top ten finishes at Kiel Week, the Australian ILCA 6 National Championships and Sail Melbourne. 

Even with her busy schedule, when she is at home in Victoria Casey spends time at her home club McCrae volunteering to help with training young sailors. 

At the most recent Australian ILCA open championship she exhibited outstanding leadership qualities in captaining the successful Victorian team in winning the coveted Battens trophy. 

Casey Imeneo

2022 Australian Sailing Female Sailor of the Year, Mara Stransky, is back as a Finalist after another incredible season. 

The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron athlete put together her most consistent season to date, collecting 18 race podiums in her wake.  

She finished 15th at the 2022 European Championships before returning home to collect a second at Sail Sydney and fourth at Sail Melbourne during the domestic season. 

A 24th in Palma was wedged between two top ten results at major international regattas. Her fourth at the 2023 European Championships put everyone on notice that she was back, and followed that up with a fifth at Hyeres in April where she also won the medal race from world-class field. 

In her brief periods at home, Mara found time to attend several women's and youth coaching clinics and enjoyed local regattas. She also joined the Women’s McConaughy 38 team and won Multihull Racing Division Two as Tactician on her family yacht. 

 
Mara Stransky

2023 will be remembered as the year Australian Sailing Team ILCA 6 star Zoe Thomson announced herself on the world stage. 

The Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and Fremantle Sailing Club sailor started her season well with an eighteenth at the ILCA 6 World Championships in October before a run of top finishes at the 2022 European Championships (eighth), Sail Melbourne (second) and 2023 European Championships (eleventh).  

But it was her breakthrough performance at the Palma regatta that will be long remembered, where Thomson placed second in the medal race and second overall for the event. These performances saw Zoe win selection to the Australian Olympic Test Event team.  

Whenever her schedule allows, Zoe works with young people as a coach and mentor. This year, in addition to taking Tackers courses and her involvement in the RFBYC “Girls Who Sail” programs, she has been an ambassador for sailing at local schools with the aim of introducing groups to sailing. 

Zoe Thomson

The winner of the Female Sailor of the Year Award will be announced at the 2023 Australian Sailing Awards on November 3. For more information on the Awards including a full list of finalists, click here.