As the sailing community looks back on the recent SB20 Championships in Dubai, we at ICARUS Sports celebrate the triumphs, camaraderie and memorable moments that made up these prestigious competitions. The Dubai Offshore Sailing Club organised a veritable firework display of SB20 events. First the SB20 Middle East Championships last December, then the SB20 Asia Pacific Championships and finally the highlight, the SB20 World Championships.
SB20 Middle Eastern Championship
The 3-event series kicked off with the SB20 Middle Eastern Championship, which took place from 1 to 3 December 2023 and brought together sailors from across the region for a weekend of intense racing. The regatta, organised by the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, showcased the growing popularity of the SB20 class in the Middle East and highlighted the talent and dedication of the participating teams.
SB20 Asia Pacific Championship
The event was followed by the SB20 Asia Pacific Championship from 2 to 4 February 2024, which really had it all. Strong winds, atypical for Dubai, demanded everything from the sailors, creating spectacular images and excitement among the spectators who were kept on the edge of their seats for the whole three days.
World Championship
The World Championship, which took place in Dubai from 11 to 16 February 2024. The event the highlight of the SB20 calendar and the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club provided the central stage on and off the water.
The new World Champion, Charlotte Borghesi, skipper of Team Kidzink, expressing her joy said, “It is still a bit amazingly surreal right now. We left it to the very last minute to make it stressful. You just see the tip of the iceberg, but we have been together as a team for two months, in training, working on the boat, on each other. We went out, we didn’t aim to win any race, we just wanted to do our best, in every race and we did that. We never won a race. It just shows you, you never have to go out thinking to win.“
Christopher Stadler, Business Development Manager at ICARUS Sports, said: “We congratulate the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club under General Manager Jacky Gerault and his entire team at the Dubai Duty Free SB20 World Championships on a perfect event. Dubai has shown its best side as a sailing destination and the SB20 has once again proven that it is the perfect platform across all generations, amateurs and professionals alike. We, at ICARUS Sports, are very happy to have been part of this incredible event journey and we are grateful to have been able to capture the best moments and share them with an international audience.“