Hundreds of Queensland’s finest young sailors have descended on the state’s central coast, ready for a week full of action both on and off the water at Zhik Youth Sail Queensland.

Set to take place at Keppel Bay Sailing Club in Yeppoon from September 18-23, the 2023 event has attracted more than 200 boats from around the state, including more than 60 entries for the ILCA fleet.

Young sailors from Queensland, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Victoria will all be in attendance, representing 26 clubs in total.

The event has attracted coaches from all around Queensland, the Northern Territory and even the Solomon Islands. 

The week consists of a three-day Coaching Clinic which commenced this morning, with a focus on having fun and learning new skills.

Following the Coaching Clinic will be the 3-day Queensland Youth Championship regatta, which will be a conducted by qualified instructors/foundation coaches and is an ideal way to participate in your first regatta.

Coaching staff for the event include Olympian Mara Stransky, Joel Turner, 2022 QLD Coach of the Year, Dan Blight, Jess Muir and Alanna Field from Darwin Sailing Club. The coaching staff are all passionate about the education of young sailors and will look to impart knowledge and encourage a love of sailing over the weeklong event. 

We are pleased that over 40% of the coaching staff at this year’s event are female, which aligns with Australian Sailing’s strategic growth target of having more female coaches in the sport.

To round out the week, two-time Olympic Champion Mat Belcher OAM will be visiting Keppel Bay Sailing Club to meet and chat with competitors.

QLD Youth Sail 2023 is a truly collaborative event, with clubs from across Queensland supporting the event with ribs, officials and volunteers.

To learn more or to register, visit the 2023 Youth Sail QLD website here.

Australian Sailing would like to thank our partners at Zhik for their support of the Zhik Youth Sail series and for their ongoing support of sailing in Australia.