CALLUM SIMMONS AT THE ILCA 4 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The winter of 2025 was exceptionally enjoyable with many memories had. I had been successful in qualifying for the 2025 ILCA 4 Youth World Championship in San Pedro, USA, and trained hard for many months in preparation. Training in a whole host of conditions, I honed my skills and finally boarded the plane. Before flying to Los Angeles, we had some family friends who we caught up with, in Whistler, Canada. Canada was nothing short of breathtaking and was an epic place for someone like me who loves the outdoors. It gave me a chance to unwind, have fun, but also mentally prepare for the battle of the event that was to come.
After the lush green experience of Canada, arriving at LA was honestly a bit unsettling, due to the number of people living rough. It is quite a contrast to how things are at home, but given time the place began to grow on me. We spent 3 days exploring the streets of LA. Going through Venice beach, seeing its street performers and skaters was really fun, it was flooded with life and people trying to sell things to you. Next was the Santa Monica pier, followed by a day at Universal studios, which was a blast. Going into Downtown LA we explored Olivera Street with its Mexican culture, eating great food and a highlight was some tasty little taquitos and churros with chocolate and ice cream.
And then the training started. I had the unique opportunity to be part of a group of sailors mainly from Miami, but others from overseas like me. Our USA coach, Pedro Mascarenhas, along with other coaches for the group, was insightful and quick to smile and share a joke. The team quickly formed bonds creating friendships which I hope will be long lasting into the future with the ability to reunite at future regattas and travels. We spent 5 long days studying and training on the waters of San Pedro, its ocean swells a delight for the down winds, and its consistent right hand shift tricky to play on the upwind.
Then came the regatta. With over 240 entries (140 male and 100 female) it was a massive gathering of extremely talented sailors, I think, all having been picked from the top 20 of each country. The regatta was also flooded with ILCA 6 sailors using the event as a warmup for the ILCA 6 world championship a week later.
It was truly a sight to behold, and being there racing with all those people felt truly special as I knew we had all trained hard and long for this event and were talented enough to make it. Over the course of the regatta, we had some medium wind days, but predominately each day we had the heavy pacific seabreeze that stormed in after midday. It was a true test of sailor’s skill and strength, I don’t think I have worked harder than that in my life. Each wave was an opportunity for speed and manoeuvrability, and I had to take it. If you didn’t, you were gone.
A highlight of the event was the day I scored an 8th in the first race, and a 2nd in the second race. It felt truly exhilarating to be up the top on the world stage, but I believed in myself and knew I could accomplish those results. But the regatta tested me in ways I couldn’t know, and after a couple of missed opportunities on some days, I dropped back a bit from the very top of the fleet.
In the end, I finished 53rd overall, a massive achievement, but what was better was the lessons I had learnt, the friendships I had made and the good times I had.
This trip has been exceptional, and I am so lucky to have been given the opportunity to perform on the world stage. From all the training to the time I spent exploring, making friendships, sailing the waters and performing with the best, the experience has been awesome. This has been a milestone and I can’t wait to keep hammering the training before the nationals in Tasmania in January 2026.
A big thank you to coach Jack Lewis, Pedro, SSCBC especially David White, my parents, my brother Aidan, my sailing sponsors Zhik and Ronstan and all who supported me, I couldn’t have done it without you!
