By Agustín Argüelles — San Pedro, Los Angeles, USA | July 29, 2025.
The 2025 ILCA 6 Youth World Championships are officially underway at Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in San Pedro, California. A total of 222 young sailors from around the globe have gathered for a week of elite racing, international camaraderie, and unforgettable experiences on the Pacific coast.
Preparation Day Recap
The championship got off to a lively start yesterday with the first official day of registration and equipment inspection. Sailors began arriving early to check in, measure their boats, and prepare for the racing ahead.
Equipment measurement began promptly at 9:00 AM, followed by steady registration throughout the morning. By 11:00 AM, the boat park was buzzing — full of sailors eager to complete their checks and get on the water.
Most competitors moved through the process smoothly, with only a few requiring minor adjustments. In the afternoon, sailors took advantage of the building breeze to tune their rigs and familiarize themselves with the venue, often joining forces with other national teams for sparring sessions.
Conditions mirrored last week’s ILCA 4 regatta — light winds in the morning, building steadily into the afternoon, peaking at around 15 knots. Most training wrapped up by 4:30 PM, with athletes returning to shore to rest, hydrate, and mentally prepare for the days ahead.
Spirits are high across the venue as final measurement and registration continue today, ahead of this evening’s highly anticipated Opening Ceremony. Championship racing begins tomorrow.
From World Titles to European Medals: Sailors to Keep an Eye On
Girls’ championships
In the girls’ fleet, reigning U17 World Champion Sienna Wright IRL is certainly one of the top sailors to watch. She finished second overall and first in the Under 17 category at last year’s ILCA 6 Youth Worlds in Argentina.
Also returning to the spotlight are Hermione Ghicas GRE and Rebecca Mantel ISR, last year’s U17 silver and bronze medalists, respectively. Hermione comes into this event with even more momentum as the reigning 2025 ILCA 6 Youth European Champion.
Other top contenders include Alina Shapovalova UKR, Gaya Datiashvili ISR, and Hannah Rogowska POL — who placed third through fifth at the most recent European Championship.
From the ILCA 4 class, keep an eye on the Dutch duo Hieke Schraffordt NED and Feline van Ede NED, the reigning ILCA 4 Youth World Champion and runner-up. Both have transitioned into the ILCA 6 with strong performances and high expectations.
In the race for this year’s U17 title, notable names include Amber Knape NED, Noam Kampinsky ISR, and Camille Vallotton SUI — all of whom placed in the top five in the U17 division at this year’s European Championships. Each of them is considered a strong medal contender here in Los Angeles.
Boys’ championships
In the boys’s fleet, last years’ Bronze medalist Jake Homberger USA, now racing in home waters, is certainly one of the sailors to watch.
Building on strong performances at the recent 2025 ILCA 6 Youth European Championship, Tim Lubat ESP, Alexander Hartsink NED, Alessandro Cirinei ITA, and Sergio Garcia ESP — who placed first through fourth respectively — are all expected to be serious contenders in the fight for World Championship medals.
Stepping up from the ILCA 4 class, Carlos Charabati CAN –2024 ILCA 4 Youth World Champion–, Josip Tafra CRO –Silver–, and Ali Ozdemir TUR –Bronze– bring strong momentum and will be aiming for top results in the ILCA 6 Youth fleet.
In the battle for this year’s Under 17 title, the aforementioned European champion Alexander Hartsink NED and runner-up Jiri Tomes CZE are leading names. They’ll be challenged by Nikolas Komianos GRE and Giovanni Bedoni ITA, who finished fourth and fifth respectively at this year’s European Championship.
Also making a strong case in the U17 category is Erik Scheidt BRA, the recent ILCA 4 Youth vice-champion, now transitioning into the ILCA 6 fleet.
These are just some of the standout names in what promises to be a highly competitive championship. No sailor has come to Los Angeles for a vacation — the goal is clear: to perform at the highest level and chase a World Championship medal. The action on the water will be fast, fierce, and unforgettable.
You can check the full entry list here.
How to follow the 2025 ILCA 6 Youth World Championships
We’ll be publishing a daily report with links to results and photos at ilcasailing.org. You can find all information about the competition on the event website: https://2025ilca6youth.ilca-worlds.org/. Live action with interviews, videos, and pictures will also be posted daily across ILCA’s social media channels. We encourage you to follow and subscribe to stay instantly notified about the latest updates:
About ILCA 6 Youth World Championships
The ILCA 6 Youth World Championships is a premier international sailing event that brings together the world’s top youth sailors to compete at an elite level in the ILCA 6 class. Often a key stepping stone toward Olympic and professional sailing, the championship offers a high-performance platform for rising talent to test their skills, gain international experience, and forge lasting connections within the global sailing community.
Report by Agustín Argüelles – ILCA | Photos by Simone Staff – Seaster Media.