Apia Yacht Club (AYC) and Samoa's sailing community will host a special potluck dinner on Tuesday evening to farewell their sailors who are representing Samoa at the XVII Pacific Games.

The farewell Tuesday night will also act as the club's one fundraising event to assist the sailors with their Games preparations. Guests are encouraged to sponsor a sailor by making a donation towards a sailor or for sailing developments overall. 

A young team of Samoa's Junior Sailors have been training up to six days a week in preparation for the Pacific's premier sports event in the Solomon Islands from 19 November to 2 December. The Pacific Games sailors' families and friends are invited to join the sailing community for their potluck farewell. 

The Samoa sailors are Vaimo'oi'a Ripley, 31 years (F), Elizabeth Rasch, 17 years (F), Eroni Leilua, 30 years (M), and Vitolio Lui Iamafana, 21 years (M). Two men and two women sailors are representing Samoa.  

The Laser class sailors have been training hard with Poland-based coach Vincent Peters, who also trained the Samoa sailors for the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa. In 2019, Samoa sailing managed to scoop six medals including individual medals, a men's team gold, and a women's team silver for the Laser class as well as Samoa's first para sailing team bronze medal. 

This will be Elizabeth Rasch's first Pacific Games competition and Vitolio Lui Iamafana's second Pacific Games competition after competing as part of Team Samoa sailing at the XVI Games in Samoa in 2019. 

Rasch will have to draw on her experience at the 2022 World Sailing Youth Championships in the Netherlands last year as the stepping stone for building her International competitive exposure.

Eroni Leilua has regularly represented Samoa at the Pacific Games over the years including the Tokyo Olympics in Japan in 2021. Leilua has been training hard to book a spot on his second Olympic Pathway, at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Vaimo'oi'a has also represented Samoa over the years at the Pacific Games and is currently pursuing her first Olympic Pathway for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Both Leilua and Vaimo'oi'a have medalled at the Pacific Games in previous appearances.  

The women's competition commences next Monday, 20–25 November. The men's competition starts on Sunday 27–2 December. 

The team is supported by their coaching and management team, consisting of international head coach, Vincent Peters,  Susuga Fritz Rasch as sailing team manager, and Aloma Black, as technical advisor and supporting Coach. 

Black is Vice President of the Samoa Sailing Association and is fleet captain of the Apia Yacht Club. Black sailed for Samoa at the New Caledonia Pacific Games in 2011 as a 14-year-old, where Samoa's Women's team clinched the bronze medal. The team will depart for the Solomon Islands on Wednesday, 15 November.

"We are looking forward to representing Samoa at the SOL23 Pacific Games," Samoa sailing's team manager, Lungga Fritz Rasch."Our team has been training hard, and we hope to have the opportunity to check out the Games venue and have a trial run at the sailing site at."

Commodore of Apia Yacht Club, Seiuli Ian Black, acknowledged the support from various sponsors. 

"We again acknowledge our team's sponsors and those who have supported our sailors for the Pacific Games," he said. "Thank you Samoa Sailing Association, Transam Samoa, Vaikobi Australia for the Team sailing shirts, and especially our sailors, parents, families, friends and volunteers who have all worked in the background to get our sailors prepared for the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands."

"Thank you to our coaching and management team, for staying committed to the team's preparations. Remember, you're not only representing Samoa, but also your families, villages, and our sailing Aiga. 

"Our young sailors are looking up to you, they will want to be you, representing Samoa in future Games. You carry all of us, our 'mana'  in your pursuit. O outou mama na."

The Apia Yacht Club C farewell will be held at the Apia Yacht Club Tuesday evening from 5.30 to 8.30 pm. The sailing team will perform a farewell Taualuga as their final preparation for the XVII Pacific Games.