Hobart’s River Derwent provided shifting and at times testing conditions for the fleet in the 2026 SB20 Tasmanian Schools Championship. Sixty sailors and 15 boats were on the water for the inaugural championship which was won by The Friends’ School (Red) on Mind Games.
Isaac Archer was on the helm, with his crew of George Shugg, Cameron Underwood and Rohan Langford (coach) winning on four points, following a discard after five races. Warwick Dean from The Hutchins School was second overall with Alex Ashbolt (helm), Archie McQuillen, William James and Sam King (coach) finishing on ten points. Charlie Birch from The Hutchins School skippered Aeolus to third overall with Harry Pilkington, William Corkhill and Xabi Carbo, finishing on 18 points.
The first female team and fourth overall was Porco Rosso from The Friends School (White) skippered by current Australian International Cadet Champion Olive Hooper, with Gracie Scarr, Reuben Tochner and coach Luke Watkins on 20 points. Sydney’s Scots College team of Toby Yuen, Kai Lawson, Connor Hood and Andrew Alt-Graham, sailing Ares, finished in seventh overall on 22 points.
Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania Commodore and Race Officer, Nick Hutton, was impressed with the sailing of the school students and felt that the event was a positive move for the SB20 Class in Australia. “There were challenging conditions on the water with the wind shifting from NW to SW and ranging from 0 to 25 knots during the event. We saw very competitive racing with tight finishes in most races, and in addition, we saw outstanding sailing from The Friends’ School (Red) team, skippered by Isaac Archer, with a 1,1,1,2,1 scoreline to win the event overall. I would like to acknowledge the great work of all of the volunteers who were kept busy setting and resetting courses during the day to suit the changing conditions on what was yet another great day on the River Derwent. Kudos to Paul McCartney [President] and the SB20 Association of Australia for conceiving the event and to the owners for generously lending their boats,” said Hutton.
McCartney was delighted with the event’s success and believes that the championship will evolve into the annual Australian SB20 Schools Championship from 2027, with several teams already indicating that they will be back, and interest growing from around Tasmania and interstate. “We have been overwhelmed with the positive way this regatta has been received and the enthusiasm of the sailors that were on the water. Racing was very close all day, the sailors were tested in varying conditions, and the racing was conducted with great spirit and sportsmanship. We are very focused as a Class here in Australia on growing our fleet, increasing participation, diversity and boat ownership, and in building the racing experience of our younger sailors as we draw closer to the SB20 World Championship that we are hosting in Hobart in January 2029. We have received very positive feedback from the schools, so much so that we are currently considering whether we run a two-day event next year. As I said to the sailors yesterday, a Tasmanian team won the Open and Youth SB20 World Championship in 2023 – our 2029 Youth Champions could well have been competing in this event,” said McCartney.
For regatta results, go to: https://ryct.org.au/2026-sb20-tasmanian-schools-championship/.
Words: Jane Austin/SB20Aus
Images: Eirini Marios / Asimina McCartney
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