Over the past year, Keizo and I have continued to build momentum in our 49er Olympic campaign as we work toward our long-term goal of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. After two and a half years sailing together, our partnership feels stronger than ever, and 2025 has been a defining year of development both on and off the water.
Season Highlights & Development
This season took us across Europe and Australia,including the Junior World Championships in Copenhagen, where we finished 25th in a highly competitive 53-boat fleet. Racing in Denmark gave us an early benchmark for the year and set the foundation for the improvements that followed. We continued our international racing in Cagliari for our first Open World Championships, before returning home for the Australian Nationals on Lake Macquarie and wrapping up the year at Sail Melbourne on Port Phillip Bay. Each event offered a fresh set of challenges—different conditions, different fleets, and new opportunities to refine our skills. Although the recent local events lacked consistency we managed to show speed and good results across a range of conditions which was extremely positive.
A major focus for us throughout the season has been on boat setup and speed modes, and we dedicated significant time to understanding how small adjustments can unlock consistency across a wider range of conditions. We also put considerable effort into heavy-wind boat handling and trying to get to the correct crew weight, an area where we’ve seen some of our biggest steps forward. Perhaps the most meaningful progress has been in our communication; it has become far more intuitive, helping us stay composed and coordinated during the most demanding moments on the racecourse. These gains have strengthened our confidence heading into the upcoming season.
Looking Ahead – 2026 Season
The year ahead is shaping up to be a crucial stage of our campaign. We will begin by doing the 16 Foot skiff championships at Lake Macquarie. We have had limited chance to race the boats but we see this as a good Racing opportunity to sharpen our race skills. We will then prepare for an extended European training and racing block. If we can gain funding we’ll begin in Hyères, France, where the international fleet is traditionally deep and highly competitive—an ideal environment to test the developments we’ve made over the past year. From there, we move directly into the Pre-Worlds and World Championships in Quiberon. Having these events back-to-back gives us an invaluable stretch of high-level racing, allowing us to settle into the rhythm of the European circuit and work toward producing consistent results.
Support for the Campaign
Competing at this level involves significant travel and logistical commitments, and the upcoming European block is expected to cost around $50,000. So far we have had great support from Vaikobi providing sailing gear for all of the conditions we have experienced, Brain Vector with monetary and Mental support which has been great considering the ups and downs of an Olympic campaign as well as RPAYC. We are extremely grateful for the encouragement and support already received from the RPAYC community. Continued backing—whether through sponsorship, connections, or general support—plays an important role in helping us access the international racing necessary to progress toward our 2028 and 2032 goal.
Thank You
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club has been our home throughout this journey, and we’re proud to represent the club on the world stage. We look forward to carrying the RPAYC burgee into another season of growth, learning, and high-level competition as we continue our push toward the Olympic Games.
— Daniel Links (Skipper) & Keizo Tomishima (Crew)
49er Olympic Campaign
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club
