At just 18, Davidson’s Amelia Wilson has become the first Australian woman to master the ‘foil tack’ manoeuvre
Windsurfer Amelia Wilson is ending the year with a few achievements under her belt. Not only has the 18-year-old recently completed her HSC at Davidson High, but she’s set to represent Australia in her event, IQFOiL Women’s Windsurfing, at the Youth Sailing World Championships (YSWC) in Portugal this month.
“There’s a lot of adrenaline (with foiling) because I go about 26 knots, which is about 50km/h,” Amelia says. “It’s very fun.”
Amelia’s IQFOil is a board with a 7.3 metre sail. It has a hydrofoil underneath (replacing a fin), which lifts the board out of the water, giving the appearance of the board ‘flying’ above the water line, rather than floating on top of it.
There is even more to celebrate, with Amelia recently becoming the first Australian woman to master the ‘foil tack’ manoeuvre on an IQFOiL. “Sometimes (we) girls have to prove ourselves a lot. But I really wanted to do one to show that the girls are here, even if we’re a small fleet in Australia,” Amelia says.
“We do manoeuvres to get around the racecourse, the fastest wins. And a foiling tack is where you don’t fall off the foil and you swap sides – you’re jumping around the board,” Amelia says.
“Everyone who can do it is much faster at racing, but not many girls in the world can do it – it’s mainly a lot of the guys. So I wanted to show everyone that a girl can do it as well.”
Mastering the trick took time. “It’s been about a year and a half process, and lots of falls,” she admits. “But my coach, Tom Squires helped me the whole time – he put in the hours and we did so many tacks!”
Originally Amelia competed on windsurfer LT boards, before switching to foiling three years ago. IQFOiL debuted at the Paris Olympic Games last year.
Amelia has had success with windsurfing, securing an individual bronze medal in sailboarding at the 2023 Pacific Games, along with a sliver medal in the sailboard team event, but it took some time for her to find the right sport.
“My dad got my sister and I involved in sailing when we were very young, but I hated sailing,” Amelia says. “I wanted nothing to do with it. And then when I was about 12, I found windsurfing…and I didn’t stop.”
Amelia’s older sister, Brooke, stuck with sailing, and is campaigning for the upcoming Olympic Games. It means Ameila doesn’t have to go far for advice. “I’ve always looked up to her for guidance,” she says.
Now that school is finished, Amelia is back to her full training schedule, hitting the water at the National Training Centre at Middle Harbour five days a week, for about five hours each time, plus the gym and conditioning sessions two to three days per week. Her plan is for ‘full-time sailing, then part-time university,’ with her sights set on the Olympic Games. “Hopefully I can go to LA for 2028, or even 2032 is the plan,” she says.
Amelia will compete at the YSWC from 10 to 20 December as a team with 14 other Australians, all specialising in various types of sailing, from kiteboarding to 29er skiff, and she is currently campaigning to raise the $11,000 needed to cover the travel, equipment and competition costs.
To support Amelia in representing Australia at the YSWC, visit: asf.org.au/preview/amelia-wilson
