2026 ALL-STARS Invitational
WASZP ALL-STARS INVITATIONAL RECAP
Pensacola Delivers as All-Stars Establishes the Future of Foiling
Pensacola, Florida delivered more than just great racing. It delivered a clear signal of where the sport is going.
The inaugural WASZP All-Stars Invitational marked the arrival of a new level of competition in dinghy foiling. Designed as the Class’s premier invitation-only championship, the event brought together the top emerging sailors in the world to compete not just for results, but for recognition, progression, and a place in the future of high performance sailing.
Staged immediately ahead of the WASZP Games, All-Stars is the proving ground. Selection is earned and the standard is absolute. The format is uncompromising. Short format sprint racing with no discards means every decision counts and every mistake carries weight.
Over two days in Pensacola, the concept delivered. With early morning starts, steady pressure, and a tightly matched international fleet, the racing was relentless. From the first start to the final sequence, the leaderboard remained in motion.
This is not just another regatta. It is the clearest expression yet of the WASZP pathway in action.
High Intensity Racing From First Light
The final day began early, with the Delta flag up at 07:00 as sailors launched into a perfect morning breeze. Racing got underway at 08:00 sharp, maximizing the conditions and setting the tone for a fast and unforgiving day.
In the men’s fleet, the opening races saw immediate shifts in momentum. Spain’s Pablo Astiazaran came out firing, taking control with two early race wins. Gavin Ball answered with pace of his own, adding bullets and keeping himself firmly in contention. Across the fleet, race wins were shared, positions changed rapidly, and no sailor could afford a mistake.
With no discard scores, every race carried full weight. The pressure was constant.
“It’s a massive game of snakes and ladders out there,” said Louis Tilly. “In this format with no drops, it’s just all about fighting for every point. With all these good sailors, everything’s on the line and the extra cash prize just makes it so intense. You have to push hard for everything.”
That intensity defined the event.
Champions Crowned in a World Class Fleet
As the regatta reached its final phase, it was Australia’s Louis Tilly who executed when it mattered most. Winning the final two races of the series, he surged to the top of the leaderboard and secured the inaugural Men’s title.
In a fleet defined by parity, it was composure under pressure that made the difference.
On the women’s side, the story was different but equally impressive.
North America Steps Forward
For North American sailing, this event was more than symbolic. It was confirmation.
Pearl Lattanzi delivered a composed and dominant performance to secure the Women’s title, starting the final day exactly as she had the first, in control. A win in the opening race reinforced the advantage she had built on Day 1, and from there she managed the fleet with precision and confidence.
While the competition pushed hard, with multiple race wins from Bridget Conrad and Grace Poole, Lattanzi’s consistency across all fifteen races proved decisive.
“Today was a bit of a simpler racecourse because we had wind the whole time,” Lattanzi said. “Everyone had an equal opportunity to foil; it was just managing your lane. The laylines come up very, very quickly when it’s a bit heavier like that, so a strength of mine today was picking those correct laylines and being on my targets. I think that was probably the key to success.”
Her performance reinforces her position as the benchmark in women’s foiling and continues a remarkable run of results following her 2025 WASZP Games victory.
On the men’s side, Gavin Ball delivered one of the standout performances of the event. Finishing second overall by a single point, Ball won five races across the two days and remained in contention for the title until the final sequence.
His sailing was fast, aggressive, and confident, a clear signal of the depth now building within North American WASZP racing.
Together, these performances reflect more than individual success. They show a region stepping forward on the global stage.
A Format Built for the Future
The All-Stars Invitational proved that the WASZP Class can deliver a spectator friendly, high performance racing format without losing its core identity.
Short, high intensity sprint racing kept the fleet compressed. The no discard format ensured that consistency was everything. One mistake could cost multiple places. One strong sequence could change the entire regatta.
It is a format that rewards execution, resilience, and decision making under pressure, and one that aligns directly with the demands of modern foiling competition.
More importantly, it creates a clear and visible step in the pathway.
Selection for All-Stars is earned. Performance is visible. Results matter.
For sailors, it is an opportunity to be seen and to establish themselves among the next generation of professional athletes. For the sport, it is a system that is beginning to align from grassroots participation through elite performance.
A key part of that progression was on full display in Pensacola. Andrew McDougall, designer of the WASZP, traveled from Australia to be on site throughout the event. Working directly with sailors, he provided insight into setup, tuning, and how to extract the full potential of the platform. His presence reinforced one of the defining strengths of the class, a direct connection between design, performance, and athlete development that allows sailors to better understand the boat and continue pushing its limits.
Momentum Builds Toward the WASZP Games
With All-Stars complete, attention now turns immediately to the 2026 WASZP Games in Pensacola.
The venue is proven. The level has been set. The fleet is already here.
What comes next will be the largest and most competitive one design foiling event ever held in North America. Alongside the world’s best, we will now see the next wave of High School and College pathway sailors step onto this stage. Their presence is not symbolic. It is the result of a system that is working and producing real opportunities for progression.
The All-Stars Invitational has done more than crown champions. It has raised the standard and made one thing clear.
The future of foiling is already here, and North America is now firmly part of it.
See Full Results Here
See Photos Here
All-Stars Video Highlights Here