Seven Canadian sailors set to compete at the 2025 Women's ILCA 6 and Men's ILCA 7 World Championship

Women's ILCA 6 and Men's ILCA 7 World Championship © Sail Canada

A total of seven Canadian sailors will take part in the 2025 Men's ILCA 7 & Women's ILCA 6 World Championships, to be held May 12-17 in Qingdao, China.

Amongst the seven Canadians, four are members of the Sail Canada National Team: Ryan Anderson from Halifax, N.S. (RNSYS), as well as Liam Bruce (PCYC) and James Juhasz (OYS) from Oakville, ON, in ILCA 7, and Clara Gravely from Toronto (ABYC) in ILCA 6.

The other Canadian sailors who will be taking part in the event are Alexander Heinzemann from Tsawwassen, B.C., who was the bronze medalist in the 49er class at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, Victoria Coady from Coquitlam, B.C., and Lilly Rainham from Halifax, N.S.

"It's been quite a start to the season already and I'm excited that the work I've done over the winter has been showing through in the results I've earned at the Princess Sofia Trophy Regatta and French Olympic Week," said Clara Gravely, who recently came up with her best-ever international performance a few weeks ago during French Olympic Week, the second event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series, when she qualified for the Medal Race of an ILCA 6 competition for the first very first time and finished 8th overall.

"This gives me renewed confidence to keep forging onward, focusing on my process goals, and maintaining my long-term vision towards 2028. I'm looking forward to starting racing here in Qingdao," added Gravely. "If this produces a strong result here in China, great, and if not, I'll be ready to go back to the drawing board this summer!"

Also in action in ILCA 7 will be Liam Bruce, who was the top Canadian in the first event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series, the Princess Sofia Trophy Regatta, a month ago.

"I'm looking forward to racing at the ILCA World Championships in Qingdao," said Liam Bruce. "It's an honour to represent Port Credit Yacht Club and Canada on the international stage. This will be my first time competing in China, and while we're expecting a range of conditions, I feel well-prepared coming off a solid training block. After earning my first senior gold fleet at Palma last month, I'm aiming to carry that experience forward and continue building momentum."

Alexander Heinzemann: back to ILCA 7

Alexander Heinzemann from Tsawwassen, B.C., will also be in the lineup for the ILCA 7 event.

A bronze medalist in the 49er event at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, Heinzemann previously represented Canada in numerous international competitions in ILCA until 2015, notably at different World Cups and at the 2009 and 2010 Youth World Sailing Championships in ILCA 6, where he respectively took the 21st and 39th positions.

"After being out of the ILCA boat for almost 10 years, I started training in this class again last fall," said Alexander Heinzemann. "This year, my goal is to get my sailing fitness back and to see where I stack up in the international fleet, and then go from there."

Emily Bugeja at Formula Kite European Championships

Meanwhile, in Urla, Turkey, Emily Bugeja from Vancouver will take part in the 2025 Formula Kite European and Open Championships to be held May 14-19.

Canadian sailors at the 2025 Women's ILCA 6 and Men's ILCA 7 World Championships

ILCA 6

*Clara Gravely - Toronto, ON (ABYC)
Victoria Coady - Coquitlam, B.C.
Lilly Rainham - Halifax, N.S.

ILCA 7

*Ryan Anderson - Halifax, N.S. (RNSYS)
*Liam Bruce - Oakville, ON (PCYC)
*James Juhasz - Oakville, ON (OYS)
Alexander Heinzemann - Tsawwassen, B.C.

*Members of Sail Canada's National Team