Youth Nationals 2025 took place from 14–19 December at Hermanus Yacht Club, with over 100 sailors competing across a wide range of fleets.

There were:

• 31 boats in the Dabchick fleet
• 19 in the ILCA 4 fleet
• 22 in the ILCA 6 fleet
• 10 Mirrors
• 11 in the Open fleet
• 33 Optimists in the A fleet
• 23 in the Optimist B fleet

This regatta saw both heavy wind and light wind, challenging sailors across the full spectrum of conditions. The atmosphere was incredible, with live reports from the water being filtered through to shore so parents could keep up with what was happening in real time.

From the Ullman Sails side, we saw some really impressive results. We had four sponsored sailors competing, and each of them delivered strong performances across their fleets.

Optimist Fleet

Sean van Aswegen sailed to a commendable 5th place in the Optimist A fleet, giving it horns every single race and showing great consistency throughout the regatta.

Taylor Milln sailed her second Youth Nationals, and had an outstanding series, taking home the Dave Bruce Trophy for first girl in the Optimist fleet. A fantastic achievement and a proud moment for her campaign.

Mirror Fleet

In the Mirror fleet, Hayden Miller and Maddison Smit sailed an excellent series to secure 3rd place overall, proving themselves as one of the standout teams in the fleet.

For a history-making result, we have a very special mention, Sean Kavanagh.

Sean has been sailing with Ullman since his Optimist days, and we worked closely with him to find the best groove and setup coming out of Optimists. Once he moved onto Dabchicks, there was no question about us continuing to support him.

The Dabchick is a proud South African dinghy created for teenagers to sail after moving from Optimists. The boat was released with a guide to build your own and was originally made from wood. In 1956 the class was released to the public, and since then almost 4,000 boats have been built. Over the years, the Dabchick has evolved from wood to fibreglass, and from dacron mainsails to laminate mainsails with a full top batten. The boat is sailed up to the age of 18, and remains one of the most iconic stepping stones in South African youth sailing.

For the first time in Dabchick history, Sean Kavanagh won his fourth National Dabchick Championship in a row. The title had only ever been won three consecutive times by the same sailor before, making this an incredible record-breaking achievement.

Congratulations to Sean on his incredible accomplishment, and for always sailing his heart out. We are proud to be part of the journey.

photos Bronny Daniels