Twenty-six competitors hit the waves for the 2025 Compass Marine Youth National Championships at the Cayman Islands Sailing Club in Red Bay.
The regatta saw its participation rate holding steady with the previous year’s attendance although it was “originally postponed from late last year to accommodate the holiday period and travelling families”, said Cliff Redfern, dinghy representative on the management committee of the Cayman Islands Sailing Club.
Competitors faced a weekend of contrasting conditions, beginning with a brisk 15-knot northeasterly breeze on Saturday, 10 Jan. that tapered off by the afternoon, followed by lighter, more tactical wind shifts on Sunday, 11 Jan.
These conditions tested competitors across four distinct classes: The Optimist (Green and Championship fleets), the two-person Hartley 12, and the single-handed ILCA (Laser) dinghies.
Championships’ final results
In the Optimist Green fleet, the largest class at this year’s event designed as an entry point for young sailors, Havannah Pinnet led the pack to take first place, followed by Gunnar Walsh in second and Anasofia Arch in third.
Redfern said, “Many sailors from the Green Fleet will soon advance into the highly competitive Optimist Championship Fleet, where athletes regularly represent the Cayman Islands at international regattas around the world.”
Meanwhile, the Optimist Championship fleet saw Marisa Miller claim the title, with Myles Miller finishing second and Sebastian Calleja rounding out the podium in third.
In the Hartley 12 class, the all-girl duo of Amaya Rajamohan and Ella Hoare were the only team to compete, therefore securing the overall title.
For the ILCA class, the second largest fleet on the course, Preston Mandish claimed first place while Grzegorz Kukula and Thomas Yard secured second and third place, respectively.
“As always, the ILCA fleet produced close and competitive racing,” Redfern said.
“Cayman’s most recent sailing Olympian, Charlotte Webster, developed her skills on the waters of the North Sound in these very classes,” he added.
Beyond the trophies, the club celebrated participants with special awards, naming Myles Miller the Most Improved Junior Sailor and Marisa Miller as the Most Outstanding Club Junior.
While performance at the National Championships is a key metric for the selection process of the Youth Sailing World Championships scheduled for December 2026, Redfern, noted that final selection would also consider international participation over the coming months leading up to the event.
