Young Mandurah skipper Georgia Payne has continued to make a name for herself in world sailing circles after finishing third at the 2017 Nacra Sailing Championships in Italy last month.
Representing Australia along with her crew Daniel Brown, Georgia sailed 11 races over five days taking on Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, France and Switzerland on her way to a podium finish in the Nacra 15 class.
The 14-year-old prodigy was forced to battle winds of 45 kilometres per hour, but that didn’t stop her from being the best performing female at the championships and skippering the first mixed crew to pass the finish line.
She was also able to soak up the picturesque experience of sailing on the pristine Lake Garda in Trentino.
"This was Daniel and my first time sailing outside of Australia,” she said.
“As our first international event it was an amazing opportunity to sail in such a beautiful place.”
Georgia and Daniel went into the last day of the competition sitting in fifth place, but after a controversial race where 11 boats were disqualified for breaking the start they held on and finished the last two races in the top five.
“Without knowing the final placings we were packing up the boat on shore when I overheard the Belgium team talking and say, ‘the Aussies came third’, I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
“It was great to be able to show my thanks to all the people that believed in me. Most of the other sailors were 16-17 years old so it felt like a huge achievement.”
Georgia first learnt to sail by attending a course at Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club in October, 2012 and has sailed every weekend since.
The Peel Region Academy of Sports athlete will continue to take on international waters when she sails in the European Youth Olympic Qualifiers in the Netherlands this October.
She is also in preparation for the Australian Nacra 15 Championships and Australian Youth Nacra 15 Championships to be held next January.
Ultimately, Georgia’s goal is to compete for Australia as an Olympic athlete, starting with the Youth Olympics in 2018.
“The Olympics have always been my dream goal, even five years ago when I first started sailing at Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club,” she said.
“I am at the young end of the age bracket for the selection criteria but I am confident that I can compete against the older sailors.
“It would mean the world to me to represent Australia at Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.”
Georgia will also aim to compete in the 2018 Youth World Championships in Texas.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
