The 2025 Oceania and Australian ILCA Nationals was a great opportunity and I was lucky enough to be a part of the Solidarity Program, which selects a female youth sailor from each state in Australia and from New Zealand and supports them to compete in the Oceania and Australia Nationals.

The program was all about making friends from different places, learning new things, and competing in a high performance regatta with lots of participants. I was given the opportunity to go to Brisbane and compete within this program, where I gained lots of experience sailing the ILCA 4.

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The sailing in Brisbane was really good with a minimum of 25 degrees everyday and lots of wind. My favourite day was the first one where 36 knot gusts sent us all off the course at the same time, making it very interesting on the ramp while over 200 sailors tried to find their 'dolleys'.

The program supplied a brand-new boat from Performance Sailcraft, a sail for the regatta, coaching, uniform, and entry fee. I made friends with people from all around Australia which was great fun and also means that I will know lots of people from Australia for my next international regatta.

I want to thank all the people who made it possible for me to be a part of this experience and the people who helped me immensely while I was there. Thanks also to Vaikobi, Performance Sailcraft for supplying our boats, the Australian ILCA association for making everything possible, and the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron for hosting the event.

- Lucy Luxford