From Suva in mid August 2026, the Oceania Sailing Federation relays an invitation from Fiji Yachting Association to clubs and sailors across Oceania. The 2026 Fiji Sailing National Championships will be staged at the National Sailing Centre on Laucala Bay on Sunday 23 August and Monday 24 August. Royal Suva Yacht Club hosts the championships with full support for venue logistics. Fiji Yachting Association published the Notice of Race for all entrants who plan to compete in the open class events.

Because the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti draw closer, these nationals hold special weight for one Olympic class. The championships serve as the selection event for the ILCA fleets (ILCA6 and ILCA7) and for Hobie Cat 16 crews who seek Pacific Games berths. Qualification for the Windsurfer class remains unconfirmed. Fiji Yachting Association will advise clubs once Pacific Games windsurfing status is finalised. At this stage windsurfing remains outside the Pacific Games programme, yet Windsurfer LT still races at the nationals as a full class.

Held beside the lower campus of the University of the South Pacific, the National Sailing Centre at the end of Laucala Bay Road forms the regatta site. Racing areas lie inside Laucala Bay near Suva Point. The Racing Rules of Sailing govern the regatta. Fiji Yachting Association prescriptions appear in Appendix B of the Notice of Race. Equipment Rules of Sailing apply with current class rules, though class association membership rules and championship class rules do not apply for this event.

Eligible fleets open with Optimist Open and Optimist Green. ILCA 4 pairs with ILCA 6, while ILCA 7 joins the adult dinghy slate. Windsurfer LT and iQFOiL fill the wind and foil craft slots under charter options. Hobie Cat 16 completes the catamaran field. A minimum of 3 entries must form a class for prizes to be awarded in that class. All class events race as open events. Optimist sailors must have been born in 2011 or later. No age limit applies to the remaining classes.

Participation costs 30FJD for members of Fiji Yachting Association affiliated clubs, paid on entry at the event. To secure a place, sailors must complete the online entry formby 8 August 2026. The form appears inside the Notice of Race, with QR codes printed in Appendix C. Confirmation of entry at the venue remains essential prior to racing. During confirmation, competitors shall present proof of current membership with a Fiji Yachting Association member club. A list of names on official club letterhead satisfies membership proof.

While minors prepare entries, extra paperwork applies. For competitors under eighteen years of age as of 17 August 2026, a completed Parental or Guardian Consent Form must authorise participation and confirm medical fitness to compete. Competitors may enter as individuals. Limited charter craft may be available. Windsurfer LT craft are available for a charter fee of 300FJD per day. A refundable damage deposit of 200FJD is payable on arrival. A separate charter agreement must be signed prior to use of the craft.

Having opened entry windows on successive days, organisers set a tight race schedule. Registration and the competitors briefing open at the National Sailing Centre on Saturday 22 August from 1600 hrs to 1700 hrs and again on Sunday 23 August from 0700 hrs to 0800 hrs. A competitors briefing is scheduled for Sunday 23 August at 0830 hrs. The warning signal for day one races is set for 0955 hrs on Sunday 23 August. Day two warning signals follow at 0955 hrs on Monday 24 August. On the final race day, no warning signal will be made after 1500 hrs.

Prize giving is set for 1900 hrs on Monday 24 August at Royal Suva Yacht Club. Four races must be completed to constitute a series. No more than 12 races will be sailed. When fewer than 4 races have been completed, a boat series score totals all race scores. When from 4 to 7 races have been completed, the worst score is discarded. When eight or more races have been completed, the two worst scores are discarded. Courses will be windward-leeward or triangular shapes. Sailing Instructions become available upon confirmation of entry from 1600 hrs on 22 August and will also be published on the official event WhatsApp channel listed in Appendix D.

In the Oceania Sailing Federation view, race management depth underpins fair and safe regattas across member nations. Alongside the championships, Fiji hosts a World Sailing National Race Officer Level 1 Course at the National Sailing Centre on Saturday 22 August and Sunday 23 August 2026. World Sailing Race Officer Developer Becky Ashburn delivers the course. Race officers set courses and manage starts. They uphold fair racing and help clubs stage sound events. Developing more qualified race officers strengthens Fiji club capacity for future high-quality regattas. The federation considers the dual Suva programme a regional priority.

What Fiji Yachting Association seeks is active nomination from clubs. Sailors and parents may step forward. Volunteers and committee members who wish to enter race management are welcome. World Sailing has capped the course at 15 participants. Early entry is strongly advised. Fiji Yachting Association will submit the final participant list to World Sailing after the 31 July deadline for approval. Attendance without the online prerequisite is not permitted. Participants who have not completed the mandatory Fundamentals for Race Management module will not be eligible for the in-person course.

To attend the Race Officer Course, 2 entries must be completed:

1. First, all participants must finish the online Fundamentals for Race Management course and complete the World Sailing venue information form for the 2026 Fiji National Race Officer Training Program Level 1.
2. Second, participants must complete the Fiji Yachting Association and Royal Suva Yacht Club logistics form in order for catering and venue arrangements to be planned. Course materials follow once places are confirmed. Urgent action is needed by Friday 31 July 2026 for course places. Links appear in the Fiji Yachting Association circular to clubs.

There is a certified Notice of Race waiting with full scoring rules and prize lists. Advertising rules and liability terms appear in those pages. Prizes go to top place finishers across Optimist rankings and ILCA fleets. Windsurfer LT and iQFOiL receive podium awards. Hobie Cat 16 crews also contest class prizes. Optimist Open and Optimist Green award male and female category places. An overall Optimist national champion title is also awarded. Decisions of the international jury are final as provided in Racing Rules of Sailing 70.5. Competitors race at their own risk. Adequate third-party insurance or club indemnity for equipment and regatta liability remains the duty of entrants or home clubs.

After clubs distribute the circular, regional interest may grow outside Fiji waters alone. Course places limited, early applicants hold an advantage on the World Sailing cap of 15. Oceania Sailing Federation, the continental federation of national sailing organisations, promotes development programmes and educational clinics among members. Relaying this Fiji programme supports that objective. Clubs outside Fiji who wish to send sailors or race officers should contact Fiji Yachting Association early about entry status. Questions on charter craft or course places can go to that office. English text prevails if language versions conflict.

Although the schedule packs training and racing into one Suva weekend, the payoff for participants is substantial. Completing the Race Officer Level 1 pathway builds skills for clubs to apply at home regattas for years. Contending at nationals in selection classes gives ILCA crews and Hobie Cat 16 teams a direct path toward Pacific Games consideration. The Oceania Sailing Federation encourages member federations to share the Notice of Race and the dual entry instructions with their clubs without delay.

For further detail on the championships or the course, clubs and sailors should write to secretary@sailing.org.fj. Lisa Philp, Secretary of Fiji Yachting Association, sent member clubs a full invitation. Sailors across Fiji and visiting fleets are included in that welcome. The Oceania Sailing Federation thanks Fiji Yachting Association and Royal Suva Yacht Club for staging championships and World Sailing education in Suva. Fair winds to all who enter.