Carlton's Clare Cini, 17, has clinched several sailing awards at a recent regatta.

Clare, with her sailing partner Will Wilkinson, 17, competed in the 2025 420 Class (Sailing) Australian Championships at Woollahra Sailing Club earlier this month.

After 10 races across four days, they became the 2025 Australian Open Champions, with seven first and three second places. They also won several awards, including the Sardine Trophy.

In 2024, they won a couple of state titles.

Sailing was always something Clare, who is starting Year 12 at Blakehurst High School, said.

"Both my sisters sailed, so I followed in their footsteps," she said. "It's a lot of fun to be out on the water. It's a different sport. Not everyone knows too much about it. You use your physical abilities. It's a common stereotype that it's not, especially for what I do because I have a trapeze line. I'm in a harness on the side of the boat, which keeps it flat. It's tricky sometimes, depending on what the wind is doing. It's about reading the breeze."

She said that the regatta was pretty 'smooth sailing' despite a southerly that blew in on one of the race days. "We were off the water in time for that," Clare said. "Sailing on Sydney Harbour is very scenic, going by the big ferries, but unpredictable. We made the most of it and are really happy with the result."

The teenager sails in her spare time at Woollahra Sailing Club and sailed locally. "Woollahra is the only club that offers the type of boat I sail, but I started at Georges River Sailing Club," she said.

"The boat is 420 centimetres. It's two-handed - crew and skipper."

Being part of a mixed-winning team was a highlight, she said. "Everyone was quite impressed that we managed to win it as a mixed team. Looking at the trophy, I saw very few girls' names on it. That was quite nice."