In July, we had the incredible opportunity to travel to Lake Garda, Italy, to compete in the 2025 29er European Championships. This was a unique chance to represent Australia alongside many other talented sailors from our country, racing against some of the best youth sailors in the world, with a total of 251 boats that travelled from 29 different countries.
The regatta was both challenging and rewarding for us. Lake Garda provided spectacular conditions, with its famous Ora and Peler winds testing our adaptability and racing skills each day. The week leading up to the regatta had us training in Garda’s typical weather conditions. We trained early mornings in the Peler northerly wind and afternoons in the strong Ora breeze, being their local sea breeze. Unfortunately, this was not the case in racing as most days the sea breeze did not come in at all in the afternoon due to stormy and unpredictable weather.
Racing in such a large, competitive international fleet pushed us outside our comfort zone and allowed us to measure ourselves against a world-class standard. We finished 123rd overall, and placed 25th girls team out of 70. We learned a huge amount from this experience, from refining boat handling and starting strategies in big fleets, to developing resilience and focus across long days on the water. Off the water, we also gained exposure to the Italian culture with daily post-racing gelato trips, and we made valuable connections with sailors from across Europe and also our fellow Australian and New Zealand squad mates.
The regatta also came with some challenges. One of the biggest was recovering after long days in the sun and on the water, where staying hydrated, fueling properly and getting enough rest were just as important as the racing itself. Some mornings we had to wake up very early at 5am to catch the perler winds which left us feeling tired and drained so having a good recovery was crucial. This fatigue also led to a decrease in our communication skills, making it harder to stay focused and make high pressure decisions on the water.
We are deeply grateful for the financial support that the Ron Tough Yachting Foundation has provided us with, which made it possible for us to compete proudly in this event. Without your generous contribution, this experience would not have been possible. Representing Australia on the European stage was a privilege, and we are very motivated to bring what we have learned back home to continue improving and to share our experiences with our local sailing community. Below we have attached some photos from our trip.
Thank you once again for your amazing support and for helping us achieve this milestone in our sailing journey that is yet to continue.
Best wishes,
Ona and Lia Rafart
