Photography by Sailing Energy
02 July 2026
Brother and sister Ruben and Rita Booth delivered a consistent regatta during Kiel Week in light and unpredictable conditions on Germany’s Baltic coast.
Racing was repeatedly disrupted across the week, with only four of the 12 scheduled races completed across the fleets on the final day, leaving the Booths without the opportunity to fight for silver after they entered the closing stages level on points with the second-placed crew.
Despite narrowly missing a higher step on the podium, bronze marks an important milestone for the Australian Sailing Squad pair as they continue to build momentum through the European season.
Fellow Australians Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown also impressed in the Nacra 17 fleet, finishing fourth overall and just one point shy of the podium. The Paris 2024 Olympians have continued a strong run of form this season, again showing consistency against high-level international competition.
Australian Sailing Team Technical Director Michael Blackburn praised the performance of the Australian crews.
“It was great to see our Nacras on the podium again,” Blackburn said.
The conditions probably suited Rita and Ruben, being on the lighter side, and gave them a chance to show their light-wind skills. It was awesome to see.
“They’ll be up against another great challenge when they tackle the full European fleet in a short amount of time.”
In the 49er fleet, members of the Australian Sailing Futures squad gained valuable experience against some of the world’s leading skiff sailors.
NSW Institute of Sport athletes Daniel Links and Keizo Tomishima finished ninth overall after qualifying for the Finals Series. The pair ended the regatta strongly, placing second in the final race and taking valuable confidence into next month’s European Championships.
Fellow Futures Squad members Kurt Hansen and Charlie Zeeman narrowly missed qualification for the top-10 Finals Series, finishing 12th overall in another encouraging performance from the emerging Australian crew.
Blackburn said the results reflected the work the young sailors had put in throughout the season.
“Having seen the 49er Futures working hard at home and putting in some great hours on the water, it’s a good testament to their work ethic,” he said.
“So, congratulations to them for a solid performance. Again, they’ll have a great chance to test their improvements at the Europeans in a couple of weeks.”
With a medal, multiple top-10 results and valuable experience gained across the fleets, Kiel Week provided another important benchmark as Australia’s sailors continue their campaigns toward LA 2028 and beyond.
Full results can be found via Kiel Week.
Nacra 17 — 21 entries
3rd — Ruben Booth / Rita Booth, AS Squad
4th — Brin Liddell / Rhiannan Brown, AST
15th — Jake Liddell / Niamh Meehan, AS Squad
17th — Archie Gargett / Sarah Hoffman, AST
49er — 90 entries
9th — Daniel Links / Keizo Tomishima, ASF
12th — Kurt Hansen / Charlie Zeeman, ASF
17th — Luke Rogers / Kristian Bilston, SSPP
56th — Spencer McKay / Benedict McKay, SSPP
470 — 29 entries
25th — Sienna Brown / Ellis Merrit, SSPP
ILCA 6 — 55 entries
21st — Sylvie Stannage, AUS
35th — Sara Bruce, SSPP
ILCA 7 — 121 entries
96th — Hamish Gilsenan, SSPP
102nd — Xavier Bates, AUS
