Sabot National Championships sees Australia's youngest sailors eye future Olympics berth

Juniors from across North Queensland have been training hard in the lead-up to this week's National Championships. (ABC North Qld: Hannah Kotaidis)

Some of Australia's youngest sailors are gearing up to compete in the Sabot National Championships, this year hosted by Townsville in Queensland's north.

Alyssa Mathieu, 10, is a local who has been racing Sabots for the past four years.

She said this will be her first chance to compete in a national championship.

But veteran Brianne Wadley, 14, from Tinaroo Sailing Club will be competing in her second nationals event.

The teenager — who has also raced on the world stage in other types of boats — said she had grown up on the water.

"I've been sailing since I was four years old," she said.

Alyssa Mathieu says she loves going fast on the water and feeling free.  (ABC North Qld: Hannah Kotaidis)

Domenick Osborne has been sailing for the past decade and is now captain of the North Queensland side.

"It's a good atmosphere out on the water, especially in the Sabot family where everyone is kind to each other, everyone looks out for each other," he said.

Future Olympians

Brianne Wadley comes from a sailing family, with her dad as her coach and siblings who also compete. (ABC North Qld: Hannah Kotaidis)

North Queensland Sabot Association president Keiran Mathieu said hosting the event in Townsville was a big opportunity for local sailors.

Sabot racing is the gateway for juniors into a professional sailing career. (ABC North Qld: Hannah Kotaidis)

Australian Sailing Queensland regional manager Ben Callard said there could be future Olympians in the making.

"With the prospect of 2032 being held in Queensland, we may see some of the kids here competing in the 2032 Olympic Games … so it's pretty cool," he said.

COVID restrictions trap teams

Mr Mathieu said the schedule had been scaled back from a five-day event to eight races over the next two days because many of the New South Wales teams are stuck across the border.

"Of the 12 [who] made it here out of Greater Sydney, they have been isolating for 14 days and are allowed to race, as of Wednesday," he said. 

Racing will begin on waters off The Strand today. (Supplied: North Queensland Sabot Association)

He said the juniors would compete in what were known as "1-up" and "2-up" races, with younger sailors able to fit the skipper and crew aboard.

"When you reach 12 years of age, you have to go with what they call a "1-up", which is … by yourself," Mr Mathieu said.

Australian Sailing Queensland's Ben Callard said sailing, across the state, was becoming more popular as people made the most of time outdoors.

"Open air, out on the water, lots of space — we were one of the first sports to be able to get back into training and competing [after lockdown]," he said.

Independence, resilience and problem-solving skills are all skills children can master on the water. (ABC North Qld: Hannah Kotaidis)