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.
Ger Dempsey's Venuesworld.com (IRL 3739), sailing with Arten Baskin and Colin Galavan, is the leading Irish entry in 15th overall after three races at the SB20 World Championship. The trio recorded finishes of 32nd, 18th and an impressive second in Race 3, leaving them on 52 points. Ben Graf's Bango GF (IRL 3065), crewed by John McGonigle and Kevin Fenton, lies 42nd overall on 124 points after finishes of 38th, 44th and 42nd. Meanwhile, Daire O'Reilly's Singapore-registered The Incident, sailing with Arran Holman and Alex Hughes, is 10th overall on 42 points after a 7-21-14 scoreline.
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.
