From 27 July to 4 August, at the 2023 29er World Sailing Championships in Weymouth, United Kingdom, Year 11 boys, Ben Crafoord and Jacob Marks placed seventh in the world (gold fleet) out of a fleet of 210 boats, 410 entrants and 27 countries!

For the past 12 months, the boys have been training for the 29er World Sailing Championships under the close guidance of Scots Director of Sailing, Mr Beau Junk. Though their real journey began, when in Year 5, they started sailing together as partners.

The regatta attracts elite sailors from across the world. Ben and Jacob dominated the qualifying rounds of the regatta leading the competition over the three days. Going into the finals they were ranked first and were awarded the prestigious ‘yellow bib’ to wear. After experiencing beautiful English weather early in the competition, conditions dramatically changed during the finals and the light winds did not favour the boys’ body weight.

The boys fought hard at every stage of the regatta – and still achieved this highly contested result. Their years of dedication and persistence are what have led them to the world stage. 

The Scots community is immensely proud of the boys’ impressive sailing. Sincere thanks must be given to the boys’ families and to Mr Junk, for their constant support.