The Performance Academy at the 2025 ILCA 6 Youth Europeans
by Jacob Tyson 26 Apr 12:29 BST
14-16 April 2025

The Performance Academy sailors at the 2025 ILCA 6 Youth European Championships © The Performance Academy
The Performance Academy were joined by 17 sailors in Vilamoura over the last two weeks for the 2025 ILCA 6 Youth European Championships. The ILCA 6 Europeans saw over 260 boys and 120 girls compete, in what was a hectic week of big breeze and big sea state.
The 17 Performance Academy sailors were joined by three coaches, James Parker-Mowbray, Ali Brown and Charlie Linsell - and the coaching group welcomed four international sailors, with representatives from Switzerland, Ireland, Germany and Bermuda amongst the sailors. The event saw the Performance Academy offering partnered support with ILCA UK, and several of the sailors also stayed in our residential group.
"This event was a process of over 8 months' work with the majority of the sailors, and it was great to see some excellent development from the European's last year.
"All the sailors made major steps forward and have really made most of the winter to develop and progress. It was a physically challenging week where the sailors did well in very tough conditions." - Performance Academy Head Coach, Charlie Linsell.
The tricky racing conditions saw over 20 knots each day, with some days even reaching up to 30. Big clouds caused major wind shifts, but the event was run very well by the team in Vilamoura. Our winter training took place at the same venue, and we are excited to return back to Vilamoura next year.
The best performances from the week of racing saw Tom Rawlings and Samson Cross compete in the Silver Fleet, and the entire group showcased excellent development.