Thompson Tops a Competitive WASZP Americas in Kingston

Kingston delivered four days of changing conditions, close racing and a fleet that brought together some of the most experienced WASZP sailors in North America with competitors racing their first major WASZP event.

When the final race was complete, Ethan Thompson emerged as the 2026 WASZP Americas Continental Champion, finishing ahead of reigning WASZP Games Champion Gavin Ball and Adrien De Pas after a regatta that remained competitive deep into the final day.

Eleven sailors from Canada and the United States gathered at Kingston Yacht Club for the championship, and despite losing an entire day to light wind, the fleet completed 16 races over three days of sailing.

The opening day initially looked uncertain, but the breeze arrived and held long enough for five races under sunny skies.

Day two became the waiting game every sailor knows. The Race Committee searched throughout the morning for a workable breeze, but with wind on the course topping out around 4.5 knots, racing was eventually abandoned for the day.

The fleet was rewarded over the final two days. Five races were completed in a steady 7 to 10 knots on the third day, with gusts reaching 13 knots. The championship concluded with six more races in approximately nine knots and a slight chop, creating the kind of conditions that kept places changing and sailors doing the math between races.

By the final day, there were battles throughout the standings.

Thompson put together the performance needed to secure the overall championship as well as Top U21, while Ball finished second overall and earned Top Core honors.

The fight for third was particularly tight. De Pas, Callum Ruch and James Hackett found themselves racing one another through starts, mark roundings and finishes throughout the event. De Pas ultimately secured the final overall podium position, with Hackett earning Top U19.

Henry Krieble finished as the leading 7.5 sailor, while Christopher Draper and Gaetan Ismael also stayed closely matched throughout the championship, trading positions and adding another tight battle to a fleet where places were rarely secure.

Halsey Carter earned Top Female, while Gabi Stone and Tristen Tolmie-Daymond competed in their first WASZP regattas.

That range of experience was one of the defining parts of the championship.

International champions were lining up alongside sailors still learning what a major WASZP regatta feels like. On the water, that meant fast starts, crowded gates and plenty of opportunities for newer sailors to race directly against some of the strongest competitors in the fleet.

Off the water, the tone was considerably more relaxed.

When the wind failed to cooperate on day two, Catan, Euchre and virtual regattas took over the boat park. It was a small snapshot of what continues to make WASZP events distinctive: serious racing when the boats leave the beach, followed by a fleet that genuinely enjoys spending time together when they return.

The championship was hosted by Kingston Yacht Club, with organizing committee members Sue Fraser and Jillian Ruch and a Race Committee led by Melissa Clarke. Agustin Ferrario and Andrew Chisholm provided coaching support on site.

The event was also supported by Kingston Sail Loft, Marine Outfitters, the Canadian WASZP Association, WPG Canada and Panta Rhei Racing.

With 16 races completed and battles continuing throughout the fleet into the final day, Kingston delivered exactly what a Continental Championship should: meaningful racing at the front, opportunities throughout the fleet, and a boat park where experienced WASZP sailors and newcomers were very much part of the same event.