Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race: Young champion Lauren Gallaway competes against ‘Wild Oats’ on the ‘Local Hero’

AT the ripe old age of 17, former Junior Sports Star nominee, Lauren Gallaway took on the world’s best on the water in her first long ocean race last weekend.

Lauren Gallaway, 17, a Yr 12 student at Asquith Girls High School, set off on the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht race aboard 'Local Hero', last Saturday. Picture: Troy Snook

AT the ripe old age of 17, former Junior Sports Star nominee, Lauren Gallaway took on the world’s best on the water in her first long ocean race last weekend.

Gallaway competed in the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race last weekend which began at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and finished 384 nautical miles later in Southport Yacht Club, Queensland.

Lauren Gallaway, 17, was the youngest person racing. Picture: Troy Snook

“I really enjoy getting to race against world renowned sailors, no matter my age or gender. It is all a fair playing field out there,” Gallaway said. “I also love the thrill of racing, getting big waves and breezes and absolutely sending it towards the finish, continually searching for and thinking of ways to get and be faster also means that the mind and body are always challenged, and it is very satisfying when you are rewarded with adrenaline filled rides and races.”

The 17-year-old Asquith Girls High student is the youngest sailor in the fleet, and has taken on the ocean since 2009.

Lauren Gallaway, has been competing since 2009. Picture: Troy Snook

“This will be my first long ocean race and I am very excited,” Gallaway said. “The boat I am racing on is aptly named Local Hero and is a BH36, so 36 feet long. The rest of the fleet we are racing against includes 100 footer “Wild Oats XI” and last year’s Sydney to Hobart winner, the 52 footer “Balance.”

To nominate someone for the Junior Sports Star awards sponsored by Rebel, visit juniorsportsstar.com.au. Nominations close October 28.