UAE Youth Crew Leads SB20 Worlds After Three Races

21st October 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Worlds Apart – SB20 fleet gathers on the start line at the 2026 World Championship in Hyères, France, where UAE Kidzinc Youth leads after three races Credit: João Saraiva Mendes

UAE Kidzinc Youth took an early lead at the 2026 SB20 World Championship in Hyères, France, after three races sailed in strengthening westerly winds on Wednesday, 21st October. As conditions built from 12–15 knots in the opening race to 22 knots with gusts to 28 in the third, the international fleet faced its first substantial test of the championship.

Breeze On: SB20 crews race downwind off Hyères as strengthening westerlies bring testing conditions to the World Championship fleet. Photo: Joao Saraiva Mendes

William Borghese, helming UAE Kidzinc Youth, recorded a consistent 3-5-5 scoreline to move to the top of the leaderboard. Three UAE boats featured among the top five after the opening three races. Borghese described the competition as high-level racing against Olympians and champions, while tactician Matteo Barison expressed pride in the team's performance.

French Youth Team Makes Its Mark

French youth team Socare Marbrerie, helmed by Julien Bunel, moved into second overall after winning the day's final race.

Bunel, taking a break from his Olympic 470 campaign, is helming an SB20 for the first time, sailing a boat borrowed from Dominique Bayen. Despite acknowledging some mistakes, Bunel was pleased with the team's performance in the stronger breeze. "With the spinnaker we went fast, and the wind was strong, and the championship is a very high level," he said.

Full Power: An SB20 crew drives through the waves under spinnaker as winds build to 22 knots, gusting to 28, during the championship's opening three races. Photo: Joao Saraiva Mendes

John Pollard's Xcellent also secured a race victory in the demanding conditions. "Big conditions today with a high calibre fleet and it was great to get a race win today on a high wind shifty racecourse," Pollard said.

Australian entry Ares won the opening race, recovering from a difficult first windward mark rounding to take victory.

The American boat Nina finished second in Race 2 despite its crew having limited previous experience sailing together in an SB20. Crew member Paola Amar, a former 470 sailor, credited teamwork, communication and careful observation of changing wind and wave conditions for the result.

Racing Underway After Earlier Delay

The three races marked a significant change from the championship's disrupted start, when no racing was possible on the opening day of the SB20 World Championship in Hyères, as Afloat reported.

Youth Challenge: UAE and international crews compete in close formation as emerging young sailors make their mark on the SB20 World Championship leaderboard. Photo: Joao Saraiva Mendes

Organised by COYCH, the championship runs from 16 to 23 October, with competitors representing an international fleet of established champions and emerging young sailors.

All competing boats carry GPS trackers, allowing followers to monitor the fleet's progress during racing through the official tracking platform. Further racing is scheduled as the championship continues towards its conclusion on Friday, 23 October.

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SB20

SB20 (formerly Laser SB3) information

Designed by Tony Castro, the SB20 is a British-built strict one-design 6.15m keelboat conceived as a wide appeal, affordable, competitive sportsboat for teams of three or four sailors. It is also, arguably, the most successful sportsboat in the world with 800 owners competing regularly in a programme of exciting local, national and international events.

Originally known as the Laser SB3, the SB20 continues to deliver on its pioneering promise: a boat that is fun, fast and easy to sail by anyone of any age; the best value-for-money sportsboat in the market.

The Laser SB3 was designed by Castro and launched in 2002. In 2007 the Laser SB3 was awarded ISAF Recognised Status and the first World Championships were held in Ireland in 2008. In 2012, Tony Castro appointed a new builder, Sportsboat World. At this time, the Laser SB3 was renamed the SB20 and building was returned to the UK from Malaysia. The ethos of the class continues.

The boat is a strict one-design class, economic to buy and campaign, easy to sail with a simple deck layout and electric downwind performance delivered by the generous sail plan. The boat has a lifting keel, can easily be launched from a slipway and towed behind a family car.

Previous SB20 World Champions

2008 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Roger Gilbert, Roz Allen & Sarah Allan

Host National Yacht Club, Dun laoghaire, Ireland

2009 GBR: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heeley

Host Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal

2010 GBR: Jerry Hill, Grant Rollerson, Joe Llewellyn

Host Circolo Vela Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy

2011 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Andy Ramus, Ian Mills & Emma Clarke

Host Royal Torbay Yacht Club, Torquay, UK

2012 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Lesley Dhonau, Roger Hudson & Asenathi Jim

Host Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Queensland, Australia

2013 GRB: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heley Host COYCH Club, Hyeres, France