RQYS Mainsheet 2021

Olympic Foils

FEATURE

OLYMPIC FOILS LIFTING OFF Let the build-up begin!

SurfSailKite’s Mitch Pearson notes that, since the selection of the IQ Foil as the new Olympic windsurfing discipline in 2019, the airborne sport of windfoiling has rapidly grown locally, nationally, and internationally.

Despite the COVID-19 challenges of the past two years, the windfoiling fleet at RQYS has flourished, benefiting from a competitive club racing environment

Also, with the arrival of this equipment, a youth squad will be established to run alongside the existing dinghy squads to help stimulate younger generations of RQ sailors to take up this exciting class. With the windfoil included in the 2032 Olympics RQYS has a fantastic opportunity to become the hub of windfoil racing in Australia and be considered as a premiere destination for continental and world championships leading up to the games. Just think about how special it would be to have an RQYS windfoiler representing Australia in home waters in 2032!

and a robust calendar of state- based and nationally-attended regattas.

Consisting of the reigning top three open foilers in Australia (based off the last Nationals held at RQ at the beginning of 2020), Queensland Academy of Sport and Australian Sailing Futures Squad athletes, and several promising up-and-coming sailors, the local windfoiling fleet at RQYS is one of the most active and competitive in Australia. The strength and popularity of this class is expected to only continue to grow over the coming year thanks to a generous grant from Queensland’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund which funded the purchase of 10 new sets of foiling equipment for sailors outside of the class to access, with the intention of introducing them to the RQYS fleet and club racing.

In January this year the Squadron hosted the Bris-Vegas Windfoil Pro which saw 24 Queensland foilers in attendance, along with some interstate sailors. Inspired by the success of this event, the Windfoil Queensland State Championships were held in conjunction with Sail Brisbane in November, and hopefully we will see more national and international events in 2022.

Robert Oatley Vineyards is the reincarnation of the Oatley family winemaking dynasty. Wine is ‘in the blood’ of founder Bob Oatley and his eldest son Sandy, leaders of the family business founded upon a four decade passion for grape growing, wine making and marketing – the combination of which has seen the Oatley family rise to the top of the Australian winemaking scene. The family produces wines both of immediate appeal and

cellar-ability, with satisfying flavours over an elegant frame, under a variety of stylish labels including Robert Oatley, Wild Oats, Pocketwatch, Four in Hand, Fiore, Circa 1858 and Craigmoor. Our constant pursuit of quality finds us among the great viticultural regions of Australia, each offering a unique combination of earth and climate, allowing vines to flourish and produce fruit with great balance. Hand harvesting,

fruit sorting and intuitive winemaking delivers wines with clarity, purity, great texture and flavour expression. Over forty years of nurturing grapevines and making wine has taught the Oatley family many lessons. Site selection is paramount, that ‘sense of place’, as where you choose to grow your grapes is vital to both style and quality. The Oatley approach is to overlay this philosophy with an outstanding team of grape growers and wine

makers, using the best possible equipment, to allow them every chance of producing a winner.

The task is clear: to craft wines that have varietal

clarity, focus and which reflect their provenance – in a very modern fashion. Wines of character and integrity. Director of Winemaking, acclaimed vigneron Larry Cherubino, achieves this via a myriad of vineyards across the length and breadth of Australia’s wine regions.

Mainsheet 2021

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