NACRA 15
About
The NACRA 15 is a high performance catamaran selected as the World Sailing youth multihull and youth Olympic class. At 4.7 metres long and 2.35 metres wide, the NACRA 15 is the smallest boat in the fleet. Equipped with an as asymmetric spinnaker measuring 16.5 square metres and curved foils, making the boat capable of semi-foiling; the 15 still stands as a high performance racing class and is a perfect introduction to international multihull racing.
History
After 8 years racing Australian designed and built catamarans, majority of which I raced solo, I moved into the NACRA 15 class in 2020 with my younger brother as crew. We joined the class in August as it was growing with a new batch of sailors coming through. The 15 was about learning for us; in particular, the spinnaker and curved boards were new and so we dedicated a lot of time to learning the dynamics of the boat. In addition, the 15 also marked a change in environment from fresh water lakes with shifty conditions to the strong winds, tide and waves of Moreton Bay.
The first result came just weeks after the first sail with the 2020 NSW state championships where we finished a respectable 5th behind some talented and graduating teams. This event marked a turning point as we did not finish off the podium in any other event throughout the 15’s history. Due to circumstances around Coronavirus pandemic, we never had the opportunity to compete overseas in the 15 class and we moved out of the class after Easter 2022. For the same reason, a national titles could never be held throughout the duration of our time in the 15. In 2024, we were invited to the 15 national championships held in December where a number of international teams from New Caledonia were competing. After 2 years out of the class, we finished in second place.
Notable Results
- 5th 2020 NSW NACRA 15 State Championship
- Vice-champion 2020 NACRA 15 Sail Brisbane
- Vice-champion 2020 QLD NACRA 15 State Championship
- Vice-champion 2021 QLD NACRA 15 State Championship
- Vice-champion 2021 QLD NACRA 15 Youth Week
- Vice-champion 2022 QLD NACRA 15 State Championship
- Vice-champion 2024 Australian NACRA 15 National Championship