Tilly wins 2026 HARKEN International Youth Match Racing

Eight people in white shirts and ties stand together on a stage holding a large first-place cheque made out to Louis Tilly, with a trophy and bottles of wine, in front of a HARKEN championship backdrop. — Louis Tilly and his RPAYC crew with the $1000 first-place cheque and the trophies after winning the 2026 HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship.Photo Credit: RPAYC

Louis Tilly and his Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club team have won the 2026 HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship, defeating Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's Ethan Fong in Sunday's final on Pittwater to bring the Rockin' Robin Perpetual Trophy back to the host club.

Sailing with Heidi Bates, William Troop, Oliver Ross and William Hough, Tilly added the HARKEN title to the Australian Youth Match Racing Championship he won in Geelong last month, capping an impressive run of results for the RPAYC team.

Sailors in white shirts and ties spray champagne and hold a trophy overhead on a lawn in front of a HARKEN banner, with a marina full of yachts behind. — Champagne flies as the winning team celebrates on the lawn at RPAYC with the trophies held high.Photo Credit: RPAYC

For Fong, the result marked a third consecutive runner-up finish at HARKEN, following final defeats to Daniel Kemp in 2024 and Zach Fong in 2025. Three successive appearances in the championship decider underline the RNZYS skipper's consistency, although the title remains just beyond his reach.

Five young sailors in light blue shirts stand behind a large cheque made out to Ethan Fong for second place, alongside a man in a white shirt, in front of a HARKEN backdrop. — Ethan Fong and his crew with the $750 second-place cheque, his third consecutive runner-up finish at HARKEN.Photo Credit: RPAYC

The finalists had finished the two round-robin matches with identical records of 15 wins from 18 matches, an 83% winning rate. Both scored eight wins from nine matches in Round Robin 2 for 89%. Fong had won both of their round-robin encounters, but Tilly turned that head-to-head record around when the championship was on the line.

Tilly secured the first final berth with a 2-0 semi-final victory over RNZYS skipper Robbie Wooldridge. Tilly held a slight advantage during their second match before confirming his victory and progression to the final.

The other semi-final pitted Fong against Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's James Hayhoe. Fong won the opening match, with Hayhoe responding in the second to level the contest at 1-1 before Fong ultimately advanced to meet Tilly.

Five young sailors in light blue shirts and a man in a white shirt stand behind a large third-place cheque made out to James Hayhoe in front of a HARKEN backdrop. — The third-place team with the $500 cheque made out to James Hayhoe.Photo Credit: RPAYC

Louis Tilly on winning the HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship at home: “[Gesturing to his teammates behind him] Without these guys, we wouldn’t have been able to do it. Rob, our coach, has helped us so much over the past couple of days, along with our training partners, sponsors and everyone who’s made this experience so incredible.

Winning at home is something else. There’s honestly no other feeling, and we’re just so happy to have come away with the win.

Looking at the four guys behind me, we’re absolutely stoked. We’ll have a good night tonight, then come back stronger for the next couple of events. Hopefully, we can keep this form up.

The trophy really says it all. The names on it are incredible, and we’re just honoured to be able to match what’s come before us. We’ll keep on improving.”

Tilly's win also adds another chapter to his own HARKEN story. He was part of Kemp's championship-winning crew in 2024, when RPAYC defeated Fong in a five-race final. Two years later, he has claimed the trophy as skipper, continuing the club's success in developing young match racers.

Five sailors stand barefoot on the deck of a white RPAYC keelboat holding a red HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship banner, one with an arm raised. — Crew members hold the HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship banner aboard an RPAYC Elliott 7.Photo Credit: Down Under Sail

His campaign gathered momentum on Saturday, when he won all five of his matches as the fleet completed the double round robin. That unbeaten day included a downwind pass to defeat clubmate Kemp and a late-afternoon victory over Hayhoe, helping establish his position among the four semi-finalists.

Aerial view of two white Elliott 7 keelboats sailing close together upwind on Pittwater with crews hiked out and an umpire boat between them, green hills behind. — Two RPAYC Elliott 7s cross tacks close together on Pittwater, as seen from above during the championship.Photo Credit: Down Under Sail

The championship brought together ten teams from five yacht clubs across Australia and New Zealand, racing RPAYC's Elliott 7 keelboats over four days. Ninety matches were completed across the two round robins before Sunday's knockout and placing races.

Aerial view of two Elliott 7 keelboats on dark water, one flying a black and white spinnaker, the other with a red and white spinnaker collapsing, with an umpire boat between. — One Elliott 7 runs under spinnaker while the other struggles with a collapsed kite during a downwind match.Photo Credit: Down Under Sail

Alongside Tilly and Kemp, RPAYC newcomers Ash Napper and Sophie Hart gained valuable international match racing experience. Hart and Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Heidi Ferguson represented the event's female helms, while Massimo Henderson of RSYS and Angus Cameron of Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club completed the ten-skipper field.

A group of young sailors in jackets and lifejackets sit and stand on the bow of a boat on grey water, smiling at the camera. — Competitors and support crew relax on the bow of a support boat between matches.Photo Credit: RPAYC

Ted Anderson, RPAYC Race Officer, reflecting on the HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship:

“This regatta was probably one of the more challenging ones I’ve officiated in for a while, but it was really rewarding to see the entire program completed.

The standard of sailing from the competitors was exceptionally high. The top teams were very strong, while the lower half of the fleet also competed at a fantastic level. Once the fleet was split, the racing became incredibly competitive across the board.”

A large group of young sailors in sailing gear pose on and around the cabin of a support boat under an overcast sky, with bush-covered hills behind. — The wider fleet gathers on a support boat during a break in racing on Pittwater.Photo Credit: RPAYC

RPAYC thanks naming rights sponsor Harken Australia for its continued support of youth match racing, together with Race Officer Ted Anderson, Chief Umpire Katie Maxim, the race management and umpiring teams, and the volunteers whose work on and off the water made the championship possible.

For Tilly and his crew, the final result delivered a home-water championship victory and a memorable finish to four days of competition on Pittwater.

[Results]( https://www.matchracingresults.com/2026/harken-international-youth-championship