Sail Melbourne 2025 opened today with competitive and tactical racing across Port Phillip Bay, as sailors navigated cool temperatures, shifting breezes and a building swell typical of this time of year.

The Race Management team at Royal Brighton Yacht Club did an outstanding job to get the full slate of racing in, with several early leaders emerging.

In the ILCA 7 fleet, back-to-back Olympic gold medallist Matt Wearn showed little rust in his return to competition in posting three straight wins, while in a strong ILCA 6 fleet it was American Charlotte Rose who won all three races to take a commanding early lead.

Otto Henry and Shaun Connor in the 49er class CREDIT Down Under Sail

Weather Adds Complexity Across Fleets

Melbourne served up a classic late-spring day, with a cool south-westerly breeze pulsing throughout the afternoon and temperatures fluctuating in the mid-teens to low 20s. A passing cloud-line helped revive the breeze late in the session, giving sailors welcome pressure but also producing gusts, shifts and a rolling swell that demanded constant focus.

Australia’s Paris 2024 Olympic iQFOiL silver medallist Grae Morris made the most of the mixed conditions to win all four races on offer.

“It was really fun. The wind dropped a bit early, but then some clouds rolled by and picked it all back up again,” Morris said after racing.

“We had about eighteen competitors on our start line and it was super tactical. We were doing lots of tacks up the beach, watching the wind, watching the fleet, and really making something out of the conditions. There were lots of overtaking lanes, I had a lot of fun.”

Grae Morris CREDIT Down Under Sail

Morris was pushed all day by emerging star Rory Meehan from Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, who won the 2025 Australian Sailing Youth Sailor of the Year Award after taking out the Under-19 iQFOiL World Championship and will represent Australia at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Portugal next month.

“Rory listens well, he’s humble, and he just uses everything you tell him to get better, added Morris. “Winning the under-19 worlds shows that, we’ll see a lot more of him in the future.”

Royal Brighton Yacht Club sailor Anna Cripsey made the most of her local knowledge to be another to post straight bullets on day one.

“It was pretty challenging today with a pretty big swell and a gusty breeze, but it was great to be out on the start line with all the Aussies and the Kiwis,” Cripsey said.

Looking ahead to the rest of the regatta, Cripsey said she plans to use Sail Melbourne as a testing ground before returning to Europe.

“I’m trying to take a few risks and work out where my limits are before we head back overseas. I want to try new things, push myself, and hopefully find what works before we go back to Europe at the end of summer.”

Breiana Whitehead CREDIT Down Under Sail

With three days of racing still to come, consistency will be key for fleet leaders as conditions are expected to remain variable. Saturday will also see the commencement of many of the youth and pathway classes, along with the 2025 Australian Para Sailing Championships for the 2.4mR Class.

Find a full list of results on the regatta website.

PHOTOS: Down Under Sail