Australian sailors Nathaniel McCarthy and Owen Harris travelled to Calasetta in Sardinia for the 2026 O’pen Skiff World Championships, joining a fleet of 166 sailors from 13 nations. The championship delivered 14 races and gave both sailors experience against a large international youth fleet.
Conditions changed markedly across the event, beginning with strong Mistral winds before easing to lighter south-westerly breezes of around seven to 10 knots. That range required the young sailors to adapt both boat handling and race strategy rather than relying on one preferred set of conditions.
Strong results in two age groups
McCarthy competed in the under-17 division and finished inside the top five of the Silver Fleet. Harris raced in the under-13 category and completed the championship eighth in the world in his age group.
The results came after a programme that mixed qualification and fleet racing across several days. For both sailors, the event provided an opportunity to measure their progress against competitors who race the same small single-handed dinghy in different national programmes.
Experience beyond the racecourse
Australian Sailing also highlighted the social side of the championship, including the opening parade and friendships formed with sailors from other countries. Away from racing, the two Australians spent time wingfoiling and windsurfing, adding more small-craft experience to the trip.
An international pathway through a small dinghy
The O’pen Skiff is a youth-focused dinghy that gives young sailors a relatively simple platform for learning racing, boat handling and independent decision-making. A world championship fleet of this size shows how a small production boat can support a genuinely international competitive pathway.