The Australian Sailing Team Laser squad have been in Barcelona, Spain preparing for the 2021 ILCA 7 World Championships which are scheduled to commence this weekend.

After a successful European Championships for the squad, the World Championships will be a real test for the young sailors with many Tokyo Olympians returning to racing after their post-Olympic hiatus. 

Australian Sailing Team athlete Luke Elliott has been enjoying the venue. “Barcelona seems like a really cool city,” said Elliott. “But wind wise it might be a different story.

“It's a complicated venue so I think we'll have a mixed bag of conditions, but hopefully we can get all our races in.”

After a bumpy return to racing at the European Championships back in October, the four Australian representatives found their rhythm in the final days of the regatta and will be looking to swing that momentum into this week. 

Young Western Australian Ethan McAullay is pleased with how the lead-in has gone. “We have had a strong pre-regatta here in Barcelona,” McAullay remarked. 

“Training in a different wind direction nearly every time we have sailed so far has been interesting and brought its challenges, but should hold us in good stead for the regatta.” 

Olympic Finn Coach and 2004 Olympic Silver Medallist, Rafa Trujillo is in Barcelona coaching the Australian squad for the event. 

McAullay added, “It has been good having Rafa coaching us with a new perspective, especially technically with his Finn experience.”

The regatta will see 139 sailors from 44 nations compete in up to 12 races over the next six days. The entries are split into two fleets and will undertake a qualifying and final series. 

After finishing just outside the top ten at the European Championships last month, Finn Alexander is “looking forward to this regatta and taking forward the learnings from Bulgaria.” 

The squad is primed for another challenging week of racing and the rollercoaster that is fleet racing. 

In the words of Alexander, “The boys are ready for anything.”

Australian Sailing Team (AST) and Australian Sailing Squad (ASS)  entries:

Laser (139 Boats) 

Luke Elliott (AST) 
Finn Alexander (ASS) 
Zac Littlewood (ASS) 
Ethan McAullay (ASS) 

Words: Lisa Darmanin