FSC Sailing Academy and Dinghy Racing sailor Jasper Stay recently returned from his first international racing campaign, competing at the ILCA UK Nationals in Weymouth (22–28 July) before heading to Aarhus, Denmark for the Youth World Championships (11–19 August).

It was a valuable first taste of racing internationally, bringing plenty of challenges, lessons and experience along the way. Jasper made the trip alongside fellow FSC sailors Thomas Cooper and Hugh Healy and coach Oliver Pabbruwe, representing Western Australia and Australia on the international stage.

With more big regattas ahead, including the Youth Sailing World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, this December, followed by the ILCA Nationals in Melbourne in January, Jasper reflects on the experience, the lessons learned and what comes next.

Jasper’s report

I recently had the incredible opportunity to travel overseas and compete at the ILCA UK Nationals in Weymouth, followed by the Youth World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.

I went into both regattas with ambitious goals and a strong belief that I could achieve them. Racing at the highest level, however, proved to be much more challenging than I expected. It was a tough lesson to take after all the hard work I had put in, but it has only made me more determined to improve, learn from the experience and come back stronger.

One of the biggest things I have taken away from this trip is the experience and life lessons that came with it. It was my first time travelling overseas and racing internationally, and I know the experience I gained will make future international regattas much easier and more comfortable. It has also given me a much better understanding of what it takes to compete at the highest level and the areas I need to continue working on.

Going to the Youth Worlds with my training partners and good friends from FSC, Thomas and Hugh, as well as our coach Oli, was an awesome experience. Being able to represent Western Australia and Australia alongside fellow sailors was something I will never forget, and it made the experience even more special.

Looking ahead, I am going to continue training extremely hard and working towards upcoming regattas, including the Youth World Sailing Championships in December and the ILCA Nationals. My long-term goals remain the same, and I know there is still a lot of work to do before I can achieve them. These regattas have only motivated me more to keep pushing myself, learning and improving.

I would like to sincerely thank Fremantle Sailing Club for your support and for helping provide opportunities for young sailors to develop and compete at a high level. Support from clubs like Fremantle Sailing Club makes experiences such as this possible, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have been given to continue pursuing my goals in sailing.

Jasper Stay
FSC Sailor