Canada records best-ever performance in Men's Formula Kite and Nacra 15 at Youth Sailing Worlds
by Sail Canada 20 Dec 2025 09:01 PST
December 13-20, 2025
Nathan Pearce © Prow Media/ World Sailing
Nathan Pearce from North Vancouver, B.C., in men's Formula Kite, and the team comprised of Alvin Wang (Markham, ON) and Kate McCarthy (Nanaimo, B.C.), in mixed Nacra 15, recorded the best-ever Canadian performances at the Youth Sailing World Championships in their events by respectively finishing 8th and 10th overall at the 2025 edition which ended Friday in Vilamoura, Portugal.
In men's Formula Kite, Nathan Pearce finished 8th overall out of 18 sailors, therefore improving on the previous best Canadian result which he had himself established when he came in 10th position in 2024 at Lake Garda.
"It was a challenging event with tough conditions ranging from 0-35 knots," said Nathan Pearce. "This competition was a great learning opportunity and an event to build upon for the upcoming season."
In mixed Nacra 15, the team of Alvin Wang and Kate McCarthy ended the competition in 10th position overall out of 13 boats. That was an improvement on previous best Canadian results, an 11th-place finish in 2021 in Oman by Maya Heidenreich and Noah Adler, as well as by Helen and Theodora Horangic in 2017 in China.
"This was a great event," said Kate McCarthy. "The conditions were up and down, but Alvin and I pushed through. I was so proud to be able to represent Canada at this year's Youth Sailing World Championships. I hope to improve my skills further and represent Canada for many years to come!"
"We had a lot of tough conditions and competitive moments with very memorable highlights," added Alvin Wang. "Working together for the first time was already putting us behind everybody else, but we still managed to pull through and come up on top in a lot of the races."
A total of 14 Canadian sailors took part in the event.
Sail Canada's Olympic Development Coordinator Kyle Martin from Vancouver, B.C., served as Team Leader and was supported by coaches Kevin Black (Vancouver, B.C.), Gavin Pearce (Vancouver, B.C.), Violet Stafford (Toronto, ON) and Audrey Staples (Montreal, QC).
The Youth Sailing World Championships are an important stepping stone for U19 sailors as they progress towards the Canadian Sailing Team. 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: Paris 2024 Olympian Georgia Lewin-LaFrance, who came up with a 6th-place finish at the 2017 edition, Tokyo 2020 Olympian Ali ten Hove, who competed in 2012 and 2013, and Luke Ramsay, who won the ILCA 6 competition in 2006 and went on to represent Canada at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016. Current Canadian Sailing Team members Ryan Anderson, Annie Balasubramanian and Clara Gravely have also taken part in the event.
Canadian team results at the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships
Kiteboarding (M - /36)
8. Nathan Pearce (North Vancouver, B.C.-RVYC)
Nacra 15 (/13)
10. Alvin Wang (Markham, ON-RVYC) & Kate McCarthy (Nanaimo, B.C.-Sarasota Youth Sailing)
29er (W - /22)
17. Freida Smith (Halifax, N.S.-RNSYS) & Laura Eisenhauer (Halifax, N.S.-Lunenburg YC/RNSYS)
29er (M/Mixed - /30)
23. Averi Kuo (Victoria, B.C./RVicYC) & Theo Stolth (Sooke, B.C./RVicYC)
iQFoil (M - /36)
31. Simón Fauser (Vancouver, B.C. (Whistler, B.C.-RVanYC)
ILCA 6 (W - /49)
35. Maya Wolf (Port Moody, B.C.-WVYC)
ILCA 6 (M - /57)
38. Andre Deseau (North Vancouver, B.C.-WVYC)
i420 (W - /20)
20. Victoria Carroll (Halifax, N.S.-RNSYS) & Lorelai Freeman (Lunenburg, N.S.-Lunenburg YC/RNSYS)
i420 (M/Mixed - /28)
28. Will Keilty (Kingston, ON-RNSYS) & Jack Keilty (Kingston, ON-RNSYS)
More information can be found on Sail Canada's website at www.sailing.ca.