A kiteboarder at the US Sailing Youth Championships with a large cargo ship in the background.

You are here:
Home
2026 U.S. Sailing Youth Championships Results and Recap

2026 U.S. Sailing Youth Championships Results and Recap

October 8, 2026byAirwaves Editor

Results write up contributed by Anna McBride

From October 9-12, Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, California, hosted the 2026 U.S. Sailing Youth Championships.

Youth Champs began in 1973 at Sheridan Shore Yacht Club in Wilmette, Illinois, with invited sailors competing in the 470 and Laser fleets. Now, over 50 years later, the regatta is still bringing together the nation’s top sailors. This year’s Youth Champs brought a mix of conditions, from sunshine to stormy weather over the four days of racing.

Two sailors in wetsuits and visors navigate a small sailboat through choppy water during the US Sailing Youth Championships.

The 2026 championship also featured a pilot of the Vakaros RaceSense system in the ILCA 6 and i420 fleets. Using onboard devices, RaceSense can identify individual boats over the starting line early, allowing race officials to recall specific boats rather than the entire fleet. The pilot offered an opportunity to explore the role technology could play in youth racing, and it will be interesting to see whether RaceSense becomes more widely adopted at future youth events.

ILCA 6

The ILCA 6 fleet completed eight races, with David Coates taking first overall, followed by Alexander Montagu in second and Jackson Wilcox in third.

i420

The i420 fleet also completed eight races. Arturo Zizold and Alessandro Baldassari took the overall win, followed by Harrison Gandy and JP Panebianco in second. Sophia Alexopoulos and Ana Gazoni rounded out the podium in third.

29er

Nine races were completed in the 29er fleet. Braden Ozarski and Bennett Simpson claimed first overall, with Matilda Niemann and Maribelle Barelli finishing second. Kevin Cason and Sean Kaseburg took third.

iQFOiL

In the iQFOiL fleet, Garrett January dominated the competition, winning all nine races. Jack Shi finished second overall, with Daniel Solodchenko in third.

Formula Kite

For the first time, the Formula Kite made an appearance at the U.S. Sailing Youth Championships, with four sailors competing in the fleet. Molly O’Brien won the inaugural title, followed by Quincy Radkowski in second and Holland Vierling in third. Zhihong Jet Ting finished fourth. The fleet completed ten races.

Congrats to all the competitors. You can find the full results HERE.

Photos were taken by Simone Staff and can be found HERE.