Australian Sailing’s Regional Coaching Clinics are bringing high-quality coaching opportunities closer to home for young sailors across Queensland while strengthening the broader sailing community through connections between sailors, coaches, parents and clubs.  

Led by Queensland’s High Performance (HP) coaches, the connected series of clinics is helping create stronger development pathways for junior and youth sailors, while also building coaching capability across the state as Queensland’s sailing community looks towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.  

Recent youth coaching clinics held in the Whitsundays, Lake Cootharaba and Townsville welcomed more than 60 sailors across a range of classes including Optimist, Open Skiff, Sabot, ILCA, RS Feva and Wingfoil. The clinics catered for sailors from Green Fleet participants learning to race through to those progressing towards performance sailing, providing targeted coaching on local waters and reducing the need for families to travel long distances to access quality development opportunities.  

The program provides benefits across the entire sailing community. Sailors gain access to experienced High Performance coaches, while local coaches have the opportunity to work alongside and learn from some of Queensland’s most experienced coaching talent. This shared approach is helping strengthen coaching capability and create more consistent experiences for sailors regardless of where they sail.  

Australian Sailing Performance Coach Mitch Pearson recently extended this approach by working with regional foiling sailors before delivering a High Performance coaching clinic following the NorthSail Regatta. Aligning coaching opportunities with established regional events allows sailors to maximise their development while supporting clubs and events to deliver greater value to their communities.  

Parents are also a key part of the journey, with pathway information sessions provided at each clinic. These sessions help families understand the opportunities available as sailors progress through the sport, from club participation through to state and national pathways.  

On the water, the clinics focus on class-specific skills, racing fundamentals, strategy, tactics and boat handling, while also creating an environment where young sailors can build confidence, form friendships and strengthen their connection with sailing.  

The success of the program is built on collaboration between clubs, coaches and the wider sailing community. By sharing resources, connecting expertise and combining coaching opportunities with regional regattas, Australian Sailing is helping clubs strengthen their capability and create more sustainable pathways for sailors and coaches.  

These coaching clinics and coach development opportunities are supported by the Queensland Government through the Active Industry Base Fund, enabling Australian Sailing to expand access to quality coaching and strengthen regional sailing capability.  

The next major milestone in the Queensland youth sailing calendar is ZhikYouthSail Queensland, held during the first week of the September school holidays at Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast. Bringing together sailors, coaches and families from across the state, the event is the premier youth sailing event in Queensland and provides an important opportunity for sailors to test their skills, build connections and continue their development. https://www.sailingyouth.org.au/youth-sail-qld/ 

For more information contact the Queensland Support Team  

https://www.sailing.org.au/about/ourstaff