Photo: Georgia Payne and Daniel Brown race their Nacra 15 catamaran on Lake Garda in Trentino, Italy.
Sailing: Hard work pays off for Mandurah teen at Nacra Sailing Championships
LOTS of hard work and dedication has paid off for young Mandurah skipper Georgia Payne and crew Daniel Brown after coming third at an international sailing event in Italy last month.
Georgia (14) was also the best performing female sailor, skippering a Nacra 15 Class catamaran at the Nacra Sailing Championships on Lake Garda, Trentino.
The pair were up against 26 competitors, aged 13-18, from Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy, battling winds gusting up to 45km/h.
It was the first time that the best youth catamaran sailors in the world had raced the Nacra 15, with 11 races held over five days from July 24-28.
“Lake Garda is the most beautiful place I have ever sailed at,” Georgia said.
“It was our first regatta and we trained hard before departing at the South of Perth Yacht Club (SPYC) and Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club.
“We flew in early to do some training with one of the German and Dutch Teams.”
Preparation was crucial and she thanked the staff from the SPYC and trainers at the Peel Regional Academy of Sport.
The pair’s training regime was a combination of gym work and sailing on the Swan River and near Mandurah.
“The physical trainers helped us prepare for long gruelling races in heavy winds,” she said.
“We are continuing our preparation for the Australian Nacra 15 Championships and Australian Youth Nacra 15 Championships that are in Queensland next January.
“In October we will be competing in the European Youth Olympic Qualifiers at Medemblik, to benchmark our skills against the best sailors in the world.
“It is a long road ahead and we will train hard because we have the chance to win the selection for the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina and the 2018 Youth Worlds in Texas.”
Name: Georgia Payne
Age: 14
Sport: Sailing
Junior sports star individual