Celebrating the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championship winners, Cup news, Etchells Worlds
by David Schmidt 19 May 08:00 PDT
May 19, 2026
Seb Menzies/George Lee Rush (NZL) with Jakob Meggendorfer/Andreas Spranger (GER) - 2026 49er Worlds at Quiberon - Day 6 - May 17, 2026 © Sailing Energy
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics are still more than two years over the horizon, but top sailors are already deep into this Olympic quadrennial. Take the 2026 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships (May 12-17), which just concluded on the waters off of Quiberon, France. Impressively, all three classes saw new world champions minted after close-fought battles, some of which were determined by thin margins.
In the 49erFX class, Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland of Norway captured their first world-championship title in the final race, where they beat out Paula Barceló and Maria Cantero of Spain by a single point. Aleksandra Melzacka and Sandra Jankowiak of Poland took home a bronze medal, while Georgia and Antonia Lewin-LaFrance of Canada finished the regatta in fourth place (but tied for points with Melzacka and Jankowiak).
Americans Paris Henken and Helena Scutt, who represented the USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finished in 26th place, while fellow countrywomen Maddie Hawkins and Lilly Myers finished in 48th place.
Not surprisingly, the always-competitive 49er class also delivered great racing. After 15 races, Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush of New Zealand locked down their first 49er world-championship title in the regatta's final race, despite rounding the final mark deep in the pack. But, the two executed a smart gybe-set that allowed them to carry a new breeze to the finishing line in fifth place, which was good enough to capture gold. The Kiwis were joined on the podium by Keanu Prettner and Jakob Flachberger of Austria, who took home silver, and Bart Lambriex van Aanholt and Floris van de Werken of The Netherlands, who collected bronze medals.
North American interests were represented by Americans Andrew Mollerus and Trevor Bornath; Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid; Jordan and Grant Janov; Nicolas Muller and Duncan Williford, and Liam Walz and Abie Griggs, who finished in 19th, 21st, 57th, 59th, and 73rd places, respectively. Additionally, Canadians Thomas and William Staples finished in 62nd place.
And in the mixed-sex Nacra 17 class, Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei of Italy proved that patience and hard work pay off by winning their first world-championship title, after having sailed together for 12 years. Tim Mourniac and Aloise Retornaz of France took home the silver medal, while John Gimson and Anna Burnet finished in third place.
Americans Riley Gibbs and Louisa Nordstrom finished in 22nd place, while countrymen Sarah Newberry Moore and Hoel Menard, and Carson Crain and Catherine Lindsay, finished in 25th and 32nd places, respectively. Canadians Galen Richardson and Madaline Gillis finished the regatta in 26th place.
While these are great results for these medalists, and the regatta provided invaluable feedback for all other participants, it's of course important to remember that a lot can change in these fleets in the (ballpark) 26 months between this world-championship regatta and the start of the next Summer Games.
Meanwhile, in America's Cup news, word dropped last week that Team Australia, representing Australia's Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, will join five other challenging teams for the right to take on Emirates Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup (July 10, 2027). America's Cup winner Grant Simmer has been named Team Australia's CEO, while Olympic gold medalist, America's Cup winner, and SailGP champion Tom Slingsby will join the team as Head of Sailing. Glenn Ashby, a three-time Cup winner, will serve as the team's head of performance and design.
Critically, Team Australia team will enjoy financial backing from John "Woody" Winning and his son, John "Herman" Winning Junior, who have made international sailing headlines in recent years by racing Andoo Commanche in the Sydney Hobart Race, and by supporting Australian-flagged teams in the UniCredit Youth and Puig Women's America's Cup teams during the 2024 Cup cycle. (The two are also famous in Australia's 18 Footers League.)
"The opportunity to represent Australia in the America's Cup with an Australian team is something that genuinely means a lot to me," said Slingsby in an official team communication. "It's been a dream throughout my career to be part of bringing Australia back to the Cup in a meaningful way."
"To now have that opportunity alongside Herman Winning, a close friend of more than 30 years, makes it even more special," Slingsby continued. "There's a huge sense of excitement around what we're building together, and I'm incredibly proud to be part of the beginning of this new chapter for Australian sailing."
Meanwhile, much closer to home, the 2026 International Etchells World Championship (May 10-15) just concluded on the waters off the San Diego Yacht Club. James Mayo, Paul Cayard, and Ben Lamb, racing aboard Magpie (AUS 1526), posted a regatta report card with six Top Ten finishes (read: two bullets and two pairs of seconds and thirds) and a total of 56 points, which earned them the championship title. The Magpie crew was joined on the winner's podium by Scott Kauffman, Goncalo Riberio, Lucas Calabrese, and Hugo Rocha, sailing aboard Rogue (USA 1519), who finished the regatta with 73 points, and by John Sommi, Will Ryan, Victor Diaz de Leon, and Beccy Anderson, who were racing aboard Encore (USA 1529), and who finished with 80 points.
"San Diego Yacht Club is so proud to have hosted a great Etchells World Championship," said SDYC Commodore Alli Bell in an official event communication. "Over the last five days we had nine races with 278 competitors over 76 teams from 11 countries. As Commodore, I'd like to thank the almost 200 volunteers, our staff and all the competitors for making this regatta truly amazing."
Finally, this coming Memorial Day weekend will see great racing taking place across North America, from the Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race on the East Coast, to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club's Swiftsure International Yacht Race on the West Coast. Sail-World wishes all teams great luck in their upcoming evets, and we hope that all readers will have the chance to get out on the water on this unofficial start to the summer racing season.
May the four winds blow you safely home.
David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor