Sail Canada is pleased to introduce its 13-member team that will represent the country at the 2024 Youth Sailing World Championships to be held July 13-20 in Lake Garda, Italy.

The 2024 Canadian team will be comprised of several veterans, including Riley Macaulay from Halifax, N.S., and Nathan Pearce from North Vancouver, B.C., who will both be taking part in their third Youth Sailing World Championships.

After competing at the 2021 and 2022 editions in i420 with her sister Finlay, Riley Macaulay will now take part in the 29er competition with Ally Jones from Toronto. Nathan Pearce will represent Canada in men’s kiteboarding for the third year in a row.

Claire Podolsky and Maggie Tripp from Toronto in women’s i420, brothers Emil and Nikhil Damji (Vancouver) in men’s i420, Sullivan Nakatsu (Hammonds Plains, N.S.) in men’s ILCA 6, and Thomas Hung in men’s iQFoil will all compete at this event for the second time.

Elspeth Simms (Halifax, N.S.) in ILCA 6, Callum Ruch and Nicole Otton (Toronto) in men’s/mixed 29er, Claire Ramsay (Kelowna, B.C.) in women’s kiteboarding, as well as Jones in 29er, will all take part in the Youth Sailing World Championships for the very first time.

The sailors in the 29er, ILCA 6 and i420 classes were selected after being the top Canadians at the 2024 Midwinters West Regatta held in March in Long Beach, California. All the others have been selected through an internal selection process.

Sail Canada’s National Training Centre-West and Single Handed Coach Kyle Martin from B.C. will be the Team Leader and will be accompanied by coaches Chris Watters (National Training Centre-East, Single Handed Coach), Maddie Gillis (Youth World Team Alumni) and Gavin Pearce (kiteboarding coach).

At last year’s Youth Sailing World Championships, which were held in Brazil, Annie Balasubramanian from Toronto and Sullivan Nakatsu recorded the best Canadian performances in more than a decade in ILCA 6 as they respectively finished in 11th and 12th place in the women’s and men’s events. Also, in men’s 29er, Thomas Desrochers and Ford Amery from Toronto took the 16th position out of 30 teams, which represented the best Canadian performance since 2017.

The Youth Sailing World Championships are an important stepping stone for the sailors as they progress towards the Canadian Sailing Team and Development Squad. The event has been held annually since 1971 except for the 2020 edition, which was cancelled because of the pandemic. Among the many sailors who have competed in past editions of the Youth Sailing World Championships are Georgia Lewin-LaFrance, Ryan Wood, Coralie Vittecoq, Sam Bonin, Ryan Anderson, Annie Balasubramanian and Clara Gravely, as well as 2020 Tokyo Olympic Canadian Team member Ali ten Hove, who did so in 2012 and 2013.

Canadian team members for the 2024 Youth Sailing World Championships    

ILCA 6 (W)

• Elspeth Simms (Halifax, N.S.-RNSYS)

ILCA 6 (M)

• Sullivan Nakatsu (Hammonds Plains, N.S.-RNSYS)

29er (W)

• Riley Macaulay (Halifax, N.S.-RNSYS)
• Ally Jones (Toronto, ON)

29er (M/Mixed)

• Callum Ruch (Toronto, ON-ABYC)
• Nicole Otton (Toronto, ON-RCYC)

i420 (W)

• Claire Podolsky (Toronto, ON-RCYC)
• Maggie Tripp (Toronto, ON-RCYC)

i420 (M/Mixed)

• Emil Damji (Vancouver, B.C.-WVYC)
• Nikhil Damji (Vancouver, B.C.-WVYC)

iQFoil (M)

• Thomas Hung (Vancouver, B.C.-RVYC)

Kiteboarding (M)

• Nathan Pearce (North Vancouver, B.C.-RVYC)

Kiteboarding (W)

• Claire Ramsay (Kelowna, B.C.-RVYC)

More information can be found on Sail Canada’s website at www.sailing.ca.

About Sail Canada

Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. Sail Canada is a leading international sailing nation, proud of its world class athletes, lifelong participants and inclusive culture. The organization and its members are committed to excellence by developing and training its leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches and officials. With the valued support from our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations and our member clubs, schools, organizations and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms. By setting standards and delivering programs from home pond to podium for Canadians of all ages and abilities, from dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing, Sail Canada sets sail for all, sail to win and sail for life.

A sport in the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, except in 1904, the pursuit of success in these Games is what fuels the focus of Sail Canada as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.

Information: 

Patrick Godbout
Communications Manager
Email: patrick@sailing.ca
Phone: 514-213-9897