Bahamian Teen Sailors Qualify For World Championships

Fourteen-year-old Ellianne Higgs and 16-year-old Joshua Weech have become the top-ranked girl and boy, respectively, in the Laser Radial sailboat class in the Bahamas. They will represent their country at the prestigious Youth Sailing World Championships in the Hague, Netherlands.

Weech, a seven-year veteran of the sport, won multiple national titles in the Optimist, Sunfish, 420, Snipe, and Laser classes. Higgs comes from a family of world-class sailors and has been sailing for four years. Both qualified for the event through the Emerging Nations Programme. Over 450 youth sailors from 69 countries will participate in this year’s Allianz Youth World Sailing Championships.

It is a stepping stone to the Sailing World Championship and an indicator of future success in the sport. The competition will take place in multiple categories, and the event aims to create lifelong friendships and learning opportunities.

The duo will travel to Europe in a few weeks with coach Andrew Higgs, Ellianne’s father. The Bahamas National Sailing School/Nassau Yacht Club wishes them luck.