From compelling comebacks, to defending champions, Great Britain delivered it all at the second edition of the World Sailing Inclusion Championships in Portimão.

With a growing global reach, this year’s event saw 222 athletes from 40 nations participate across a diverse range of Para Inclusive sailing disciplines.

Standout performances included Great Britain’s James Coxon, who delivered a remarkable return to sailing winning the Para Inclusive One-Person Multihull title in the Challenger class.

While Lucy Hodges and the British team defended their Vision Impairment title, completing an outstanding performance in the RS21 fleet.

Coxon arrived in Portimão with limited recent racing experience and little idea of how he would measure up against the international fleet. However, a string of strong performances secured his win.

“It’s been brilliant. This is the first international competition I’ve done since coming back to sailing, and probably only the third event I’ve competed in since returning,” said Coxon.

Great Britain’s Lucy Hodges, Jamie Tylecote, Liam Cattermole and Steve Tylecote successfully defended their Vision Impairment title, completing another outstanding performance in the RS21 fleet.

The British quartet led the standings throughout the week but faced strong competition from Spain and an increasingly competitive international field.

“It’s been a lovely regatta, bringing everything – waves, chop, wind and no wind,” said Hodges. “It’s thrown everything at us all week long, so I feel really proud, and it’s good to defend the title again.”

For Hodges, however, the championships represent more than another gold medal.

“The ultimate goal really was to get more countries involved, and we’ve done that,” she said. “All I want to do is keep growing the number of countries taking part.”

Coach and Team Lead for British Blind Sailing, Alice Lucy reiterates this passion for global reach:  “As a nation, we’re proud to be taking a leading role in the Inclusive Development Programme, supporting and coaching athletes from emerging sailing nations to help reduce the performance gap and create more opportunities for competitive, inclusive sailing worldwide.” 

The championships also marked an important milestone for Inclusive Wingfoil, with Charlie Wolf from Great Britain maintaining his gold medal position with compatriot Jazz Turner in silver position and Vietnam’s Truc Diep taking bronze. The new seated discipline made its debut on the programme as a demonstration event.

With the continued growth of numbers at this year’s World Sailing Inclusion Championships, the vision is for the event to continue to grow with further disciplines and an ever growing reach.

The RYA, through the Sailability programme, has helped support emerging sailors through funding and coaching, there are a number of options to explore for support.

Join the network of sailors, coaches and organisations committed to developing racing.