The countdown to the Youth Sailing World Championships has started - with a team building and performance camp bringing together for the first time the 15-strong squad selected to represent Great Britain.

Competing against leading young sailors from across the globe in the iQFOiL, Formula Kite, ILCA 6, Nacra 15, 29er and 420 classes, the GBR team will be giving it their best shot in Vilamoura, Portugal, 15–19 December 2026.

For those selected to represent GBR, the journey is not only about individual performance. It is also about building a team to support one another, embrace the challenge and thrive under pressure when it matters most.

We caught up with some of the sailors at the weekend: 

The dedicated training camp at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (10-11 October) combined time on the water with workshops to develop camaraderie and strengthen their knowledge of elite sport.

With around half the squad returning to the event for a second time, and the remainder getting set to make their Youth Worlds debut, the weekend enabled the sailors to share their experiences, learn from one another and focus on the next stage of their preparations.

Jonny McGovern, British Sailing Performance Pathway Manger and Lead Pathway Coach, said: "It was the first time we've had the full team together so it was an ideal opportunity for them to get to know each other, and to develop our team ethos, with plenty of time on the water and shore sessions in between. 
"It was good to get into the detail of some of their goals and talk to them about what their final plans are in this last period leading up to the Youth World Sailing Championships in December. It was a really practical weekend."

Preparing to perform

In the run up to the camp, individual calls with coaches enabled each sailor to set process and outcome goals and identify any additional support that might help, including nutrition, sport psychology and accessing funds for equipment.

A variety of conditions at the camp then allowed on-water training with their class coaches, with a breezy Saturday and light winds filling in for Sunday afternoon.

Workshops ashore ranged from media training to venue knowledge and winning stats from the 2025 Youth Worlds. Tom Evans, Performance Lifestyle Coach for British Sailing, delivered a team culture session and anti-doping education. There was also a session led by Sport Psychologist Asshur Sinclair with a focus on performing under pressure, team DNA and how the sailors could support one another to perform well and create a thriving environment for success.

Encouraging team spirit was very much front and centre, with sailors sharing accommodation at Portland House and enjoying dinner together on Saturday evening, where guest speaker Bettine Harris shared her own experiences in the sport, and presented Musto team clothing to each of the sailors.

Bettine competed in the British Youth Sailing pathway and at the Youth Worlds in the 420 before transitioning into the Olympic 470 class, in which she is the current European and world champion with helm Martin Wrigley.
 
"The message was that if you have failure on your journey, to not let that stop you," said Jonny. "Bettine was very much talking about the fact that at different stages of her sailing she didn’t always hit the targets that she set herself but it was about determination, keeping on going, and doing what you enjoy."
Jonny also contributed one of his favourite quotes to the evening from legendary swimming coach Bob Bowman – "People become what the room expects of them" – the idea being to create an environment where high standards are everyone's responsibility and individuals are supported to rise to the occasion.

Teamwork

Boats and equipment are supplied for the event and shared between teams, meaning sailors need to be comfortable working with unfamiliar kit and with other competitors, making teamwork both in and beyond the squad essential.

Sophie Clark (WPNSA) will be competing at the Youth Worlds for a second time in the iQFOiL class and is looking forward to building on her positive experience of taking part last year and "being part of a team again". Sophie said she had learnt a lot about how to prepare as an individual and about teamwork: “You had to be organised or you let the team down, and it was really nice to work as a team because the more support system you have, I feel, the better you perform." 

First time Youth Worlds competitor Beau Handley (WPNSA), also in the iQFOiL class, said it was an amazing feeling to be selected for the team, adding: "The dream is to go as far as I can, keep pushing. This is going to be the most important competition I've ever done so I'm going to go over there, try my best and smash it."

Returning Formula Kite sailor Ben Field (WPNSA) had a tough event in 2025 and reflects: "I was relatively new to Formula Kite but this year I've got more experience and I'm ready to push on from my last result." As Ben explains, every metre counts in this extremely fast discipline: "We have to trust our training, commit to every decision and show everyone what we're capable of."
 
ILCA 6 sailor Jess Powell (Draycote Water SC) is likewise keen to take forward the learning and confidence gained from competing at last year’s Youth Worlds, saying her approach was to “really enjoy it, focus on the processes, and hopefully the outcome happens”.
 
Fellow ILCA 6 sailor Toby Waggett (Derwent Reservoir SC) is known for being quick around a racecourse and hopes to translate this into results at his first Youth Worlds, adding: "My strategy is just to play it safe,  build some momentum into the series and see what happens. It’s going to be tough but we’ll try our best."

Dynamic duos

Nacra 15 sailors Marcus King and Maddie Jinks (Weston SC/Plymouth YC) are returning for a second year, with their experience shaping their ambitions for what they hope will be a winning performance in 2026 as they sum up: “We know how tough the competition is, we’ve got our goals. We're ready.”

Also back for another year are 29er sailors Jac Bailey and Ben Sinfield (Port Dinorwic SC), who want to improve on their 2025 result. Ben notes that organisation and partnership working will be important because of the requirement for teams to share a boat, adding: "We've done this competition before, we know what it's like, everyone's good, we know it's going to be difficult." Jac adds: "We're going to have to look good, feel good, sail good."

First-time Youth Worlds 29er team Freya Hutchinson and Joanna MacAlister (Royal Lymington YC) bring a longstanding friendship and understanding within the boat that lends itself to the crucial teamwork needed for sailing fast. "We know each other quite well and our bond is pretty strong," they said. "We're ready, we've put the hours in on the water, and we’re ready to smash it in Vilamoura."

Both GBR 420 teams are also gearing up for their first Youth Worlds. Hugo Fletcher and Alex Flint (Royal Southern YC/Royal Varuna YC) have an ability to re-set following a bad start or race result and hope to pull together a solid series, commenting: “This is the biggest event we've ever done… and we need to put all of our training into practice.”

Female 420 duo India Eastwood and Isla Fletcher (Bosham SC/Royal Southern YC) are proud to have been selected, saying: "We've been working towards this for so long so it was really nice to see all our hard work pay off." Their plan is to learn lots along the way with a mission statement that resonates with the goal of everyone in the team: "We're going to go over there and give it our best."

Next steps

Going forward the sailors will now return to training with their national class youth squads, with remote support also continuing to be available in the run up the Youth Sailing World Championships.  Their next gathering as a team will be when they meet at a UK airport in December to train and compete in Portugal, where they will be aiming to turn preparation into performance.

Summing up his impressions of the GBR team following their training camp, Jonny commented: "We have a team of high potential sailors - a really positive and supportive group who are going to hopefully thrive under the pressure of Youth Worlds action. It feels to me like we have a team that will be remembered for all the right reasons."

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