WASZP Games Reach Halfway Point with North America Driving the Pace

WASZP GAMES DAY 4 STARTS NOW

 

WASZP Games Hit Halfway Mark in Pensacola as Fleet Tightens and North Americans Set the Pace

Pensacola Bay has delivered a full spectrum of racing through the first three days of the 2026 WASZP Games, and at the halfway point the regatta has already evolved from a high-speed opening into a tightly compressed, tactical contest.

What began with a high-energy opening ceremony at the American Magic High Performance Centre has quickly become a week defined by precision, pressure, and constant adaptation. The fleet has raced in everything from champagne foiling conditions to light, shifting breeze, with each day demanding a different skill set.

Through it all, North American sailors have been at the center of the racing.

Opening at the Home of High Performance

The Games opened at the American Magic High Performance Centre, SailGP’s first long-term training base, built for year-round performance and technical development. The setting provided a direct connection to the sport’s high-performance pathway, with sailors, coaches, and supporters given behind-the-scenes access to one of the leading programs in the sport.

With the All-Stars winners recognized, the 2026 WASZP Games were officially underway.

That energy carried directly onto the water.

Day 1 delivered champagne conditions on Pensacola Bay, with three races immediately rewarding precision and consistency across a tightly packed fleet. The racing was sharp from the outset, with very little separation and no margin for error.

Pearl Lattanzi wasted no time asserting control in the 7.5 fleet, taking Race 1 and following it with a clean sweep of all three races to claim the overall lead. Behind her, the fleet began to compress immediately, with Martinius Hopstock and Lucas Doran already under pressure from the chasing pack.

In the 8.2 fleet, the American presence was just as strong. Gavin Ball was relentless, posting two race wins and a second-place finish for a near-perfect opening scoreline and the overnight lead. Thomas Sitzmann and Pablo Astiazaran remained close enough to keep the pressure on heading into Day 2.

From the first day, the tone was set. Starts, positioning, and decision-making were already decisive, and the fleet showed how quickly it could tighten.

SailGP Style Racing Raises the Intensity

Day 2 raised the stakes.

A new SailGP-inspired format made its debut, introducing a reaching start, a windward-leeward middle section, and a high-speed reach to the finish. The result was immediate. Full-speed starts sent the fleet into drag races to the first mark, where even the smallest mistake was punished.

Boat handling and split-second decisions separated the field.

In the 7.5 fleet, Martinius Hopstock struck first with a race win, while Casey Small adapted quickly to the format, taking two wins in the final races and climbing through the standings. Lattanzi, however, maintained control, delivering three second-place finishes and using a discard effectively to extend her overall lead.

The pressure behind her was building.

In the 8.2 fleet, Ball continued to define the standard. Two seconds and a race win kept him firmly at the top, but the real story was the tightening pack behind him. UFD penalties disrupted multiple scorelines, with Antonio Gasperini and Thomas Sitzmann both forced to discard results and fight back into contention.

Astiazaran navigated the day more cleanly to move into second, while Gasperini, Sitzmann, and Louis Tilly remained within just a few points. By the end of the day, four sailors were separated by only three points.

The margins had become razor-thin.

The day closed with anticipation building for what was to come. Sprint racing and the long-distance race promised to stretch the fleet further, both physically and mentally, across the full span of Pensacola Bay.

Day 3 Brings a Tactical Reality Check

Day 3 flipped the script.

The intensity remained, but it came with a different challenge. A lighter, more variable breeze forced the fleet into a more disciplined mode, where pressure management and positioning became critical. The race committee adjusted, returning to a windward-leeward format as conditions hovered in a range where foiling was possible, but not guaranteed.

It became a day for the sharpest minds.

Clear air and pressure lines dictated results, and only a handful of sailors managed to put together consistent scorelines. As Pablo Astiazaran noted after racing, it was a day to play safe, avoid risks, and protect power around the course.

In the 7.5 fleet, Hopstock delivered his strongest performance of the regatta, winning twice and adding two additional top-three finishes to draw level at the top. Lattanzi, after a dominant start to the week, posted four fourth-place finishes, keeping herself in control of the overall picture but allowing the leaderboard to compress.

Casey Small remains within striking distance, having reduced the gap significantly and positioning herself to capitalize on any further shifts.

In the 8.2 fleet, Thomas Sitzmann made his move. Quiet in the boat park but decisive on the water, he won three of the four races to move into a tie with Ball at the top of the standings. Ball, after an early UFD, limited the damage with consistent finishes, but conceded ground in what is now a tightly contested leaderboard.

Astiazaran remains firmly in the conversation, with the front of the fleet still closely grouped heading into the final days.

By the end of Day 3, the message was clear. Anyone expecting the regatta to settle early was mistaken. The leaderboard has tightened, the pressure has increased, and the outcome remains open.

A Fleet That Continues to Evolve

Across the first three days, Pensacola has shown the full range of what the WASZP demands.

High-speed execution, aggressive starts, technical boat handling, and now disciplined, tactical racing have all been required within a single event. The ability to shift between those modes has defined the sailors at the front of the fleet.

The depth of competition continues to build, with multiple sailors capable of winning races on any given day and small margins separating the leaders. The North American presence at the front reflects a growing level of experience and consistency within the fleet, with several sailors now firmly in contention across both classes.

With two days remaining, the focus turns to maintaining that consistency.

The conditions are expected to build again, and with them, the intensity of the racing. The sailors who can continue to execute cleanly across changing formats and conditions will define the final outcome.

At the halfway point, the Games remain wide open, and Pensacola continues to deliver exactly the kind of racing that defines the WASZP.