The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC), as the Organising Authority (OA), is pleased to announce the dates for the 2025 HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship, with the 31st edition set to again be conducted on the beautiful waters of Pittwater, scheduled to occur 19 to 23 November 2025.
The RPAYC will maintain the event’s status as a World Sailing Grade 3 ‘Youth’ event, with racing to again happen aboard the RPAYC’s eight well-maintained and matched fleet of Elliott 7 keelboats. Up to ten youth teams under the age of 23yrs, with a crew of four or five, will be invited to challenge for the Rockin’ Robin Perpetual Trophy, all whilst being officiated by a highly accredited team of International and Local Umpires.
HARKEN Australia remains as the event’s naming rights sponsor, which is thought to now be the 26th year of collaboration with the RPAYC’s well-established event. The RPAYC is pleased to be continuing a longstanding relationship with HARKEN, where Managing Director of HARKEN Australia & New Zealand, Grant Pellew recently commented, “After a milestone 30th (edition) last year, we are so proud to have been associated with such a well organised and prestigious Youth Championship, together for almost as long as it has been in existence. Our global HARKEN family anticipates this event each and every year and hopefully many more in the years to come.”
RPAYC Race Director Nick Elliott added, “We are most thankful for the decades of support from HARKEN, which certainly helps to us to provide a high-level match racing event each year, for international youth sailors from all parts of the world. We (RPAYC), certainly look forward to extending that relationship with HARKEN well into the future.”
After an emotional ‘Home-Club-Win’ for the Alfred’s last year 2024 Champion and RPAYC Youth Development Squad sailor Daniel Kemp, will be eager to defend the home Club’s title, when racing gets underway in just under six months’ time.
Kemp will no doubt be primed for the HARKEN this year, as a busy winter schedule sees the World Sailing #3 ranked sailor, (youth) campaigning at both the 2025 World Sailing Youth Match Racing World Championship in Gdynia, Poland (21-27 July), and then backing up to compete at the Balboa Yacht Club’s 58th Governor’s Cup in California, USA (29 July-03 August).
RPAYC Race Director Nick Elliott – “It was fantastic to finally get the RPAYC engraved on the trophy last year, as it had been a long while. But, as we look forward to the HARKEN this year, we will again be primed to produce another fantastic and expertly run event and plan to welcome some very highly competitive teams to challenge the Alfreds’s.
Consisting of one day of on-water practise (19 November), then four days (20-23 November) of high-energy match racing, the 2025 HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship will be high on the agenda for any slick local or international teams.
Please standby for the Notice of Race and Application for Entry to be available in the coming weeks or visit the event website for further information – HARKEN International Youth Match Racing | RPAYC | NSW Australia.