Army claimed overall victory at the ADF Sailing Championships, held in Sydney Harbour from March 24 to 27, securing first place in the team championship. 

In the individual competition, the crew of Army 1, skippered by Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) B came close to victory, only losing through a tiebreak to Air Force skipper Flight Lieutenant Marcus Livingstone.

The winner was decided after exhausting all tiebreak rules, with Air Force securing victory because of their win in the final race. 

“Four different teams won races, and six different teams featured on the podium, that shows just how tight the racing was,” Flight Lieutenant Livingstone said.

Navy 1, skippered by Lieutenant Commander Kirstin Norris, secured third place overall in the tightly contested regatta.

The competition brought together 11 boats crewed by personnel from Navy, Army, Air Force, the Australian Defence Force Academy and a Saltwater Veterans team that finished fourth overall in its competitive debut.

Racing conditions challenged sailors throughout the week, with light and variable winds, strong tidal effects and a late-week storm forcing changes to the race schedule.

'Sailing is completely connected, everything has to happen together for the boat to work.'

Flight Lieutenant Livingstone said crews adapted quickly to changing conditions and worked together under pressure.

“At times there was very little wind, then later in the week a big storm rolled through. That meant every race came down to small decisions made at the right time,” he said.

One race had a light westerly breeze, winds dying completely and a 180-degree wind shift from the north that required rapid sail changes and crew movement. 

“Sailing is completely connected, everything has to happen together for the boat to work,” Flight Lieutenant Livingstone said.

“There’s no one position more important than another. Everyone has to play their part.”

Able Seaman Ron Pena observed that teamwork was central to Navy’s success, relying on clear communication, trust and coordinated execution to maintain performance across the series.

For Army, despite limited time to train together, the crews focused on clean execution of downwind sailing and spinnaker handling manoeuvres.

“Knowing your people and getting the best out of them is the most important part,” WO2 B said.

“I could rely on my crew to feed me information so we could make good tactical decisions.”

The regatta also included professional development opportunities, with coaching sessions delivered by an Australian SailGP coach, a barbecue and a visit from ADF Sailing Patron Rear Admiral Lee Goddard.