Chelsea Williams has claimed the 2026 Australian Women's Match Racing Championship, beating fellow finalist Mia Lovelady 3-0 in the title decider after three tense days of racing off Fremantle.
The Championship wrapped up at Fremantle Sailing Club on Sunday, with six teams from Western Australia and New South Wales contesting the title in Elliott 7s. Three Round Robins determined the top four to advance to the semi-finals and finals, with the event hosted by Fremantle Sailing Club alongside Australian Sailing.
Conditions kept changing across the three days. Light northerlies and flat water greeted sailors on Friday, a south-westerly rolled through on Saturday, and Sunday's Finals Series played out in another light and tricky breeze.
The opening day set up a genuine contest. After two Round Robins, Mia Lovelady of Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and Chelsea Williams of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia sat tied on seven wins apiece, with Isabella Holdsworth of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club close behind on six. Tight roundings and penalties were the story of the series.
Saturday's third Round Robin left Williams and Lovelady level again, this time on 10 wins each. Williams held the tie-break after winning two of their three head-to-head matches, while Holdsworth finished third and Fremantle's own Sophie Jackson moved into fourth for the final knockout spot.
As top-ranked skipper, Williams chose Jackson as her semi-final opponent, leaving Lovelady to face Holdsworth.
Both semis went the same way. Williams saw off Jackson 3-1, and Lovelady beat Holdsworth 3-1, setting up a final between the two skippers who had shadowed each other at the top of the leaderboard all weekend.
Williams, sailing with Maddy McLeay, Paige Caldecott, Clare Cini and Ali Braden, produced a strong final series to close out the title 3-0 over Lovelady.
Holdsworth took third with a 2-1 win over Jackson in the Petit Final, while Heidi Ferguson of CYCA beat Kirstin Norris of South of Perth Yacht Club 2-0 in the sail-off for fifth and sixth.
Principal Race Officer Rob Hubbard ran the racing, supported by Race Committee members Carolyne Bush and Amanda Casebier, along with umpires and on-water support teams across three days of shifting conditions.
Fremantle Sailing Club thanked its volunteers, officials and staff for helping deliver another successful national event. The City of Fremantle backed the Championship again this year, continuing its support across the 2025 and 2026 editions, and Mayor Ben Lawver joined the club for Sunday's prizegiving. Di Latte Estate and North Sails also supported the event, alongside Australian Sailing and its SheSails initiative.
