Hayhoe leads
James Hayhoe has made a perfect start to the 2026 Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship, winning all six matches on the opening day at Pittwater.
Photography by RPAYC-Down Under Sail
13 November 2026
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The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron skipper leads the 32nd edition of the Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship after an unbeaten Thursday, 12 November, ahead of New Zealand’s Ethan Fong and Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club’s Louis Tilly.
Hosted by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC), the championship has attracted 10 teams from Australia and New Zealand, competing in the club’s Elliott 7 keelboats.
Opening-day racing delivered eight flights and 32 matches in Round Robin 1, with crews sailing six or seven matches in a south-southeasterly breeze of 10 to 14 knots.
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Hayhoe established the early benchmark with six victories from six starts, including a win over RPAYC’s Daniel Kemp, to finish the day as the fleet’s only undefeated skipper.
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s Fong, runner-up at the 2025 championship, sits second with six wins from seven matches and an 86 percent success rate. His only defeat came against fellow New Zealand skipper Robbie Wooldridge.
Tilly leads the host club’s challenge with five wins from six matches, giving him an 83 percent win rate. The newly crowned Australian Youth Match Racing champion is competing alongside Heidi Bates, William Troop, Oliver Ross and William Hough.
Tilly’s victories included a win over Kemp, with his only loss coming against Fong.
Kemp and Wooldridge both finished the opening day with a 67 percent win rate, while Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s Massimo Henderson recorded 50 percent.
For RPAYC newcomers Sophie Hart and Ash Napper, the opening day provided valuable experience against established Australian and New Zealand match racers.
Hart secured two wins from seven matches, while Napper recorded his first victory of the championship.
Race Officer Ted Anderson praised the competitive racing despite shifting conditions.
Today’s racing was absolutely brilliant. The breeze was all over the place, but it kept coming back to the middle,” Anderson says. “We had some competitive racing with a few protests along the way, but that’s not an issue. That’s what it’s all about!”
Chief Umpire Katie Maxim also highlighted the standard of racing, while reminding competitors to avoid unnecessary contact in the borrowed boats.
“I think the sailing was really good today. Aside from a couple of protests and some contact that could have been avoided, it was a great day of racing,” Maxim says.
With Round Robin 1 still incomplete, the remaining matches will give teams opportunities to improve their positions before the championship progresses.
Racing resumes on Friday, 13 November, from 10am AEDT, with Hayhoe aiming to maintain his unbeaten record as Fong, Tilly and the chasing fleet look to close the gap.
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