Sebastian Kempe and Nicole Stovell did Bermuda sailing proud after winning their divisions competing at the RYA Youth National Championships in Plas Heli, North Wales.

The local pair led from start to finish on the way to securing the men’s and women’s titles in the single-handed, one-design ILCA6 class.

Kempe, the Laser Radial youth world champion and 2021 Junior Male Athlete of the Year, won eight of 13 races contested in his division to finish 44 points ahead of runner-up Grit Thommie, of Britain.

“It was good to take the win and hopefully I can build upon this in the youth class going forward,” Kempe told The Royal Gazette.

The 2024 Olympic Games aspirant used the regatta as a warm-up for upcoming regattas this year.

“It was a good event to test out some new techniques and improve on my sailing ability,” he added.

“This [championships] wasn’t really as an important for me as it was for many of the British sailors because this was their qualifier for the Youth Worlds in The Hague this year.”

Stovell was pushed a little harder in her division, which she won by a three-point margin over British runner-up Honor Proctor.

She posted seven top-three finishes in the 13-race series, including three victories, on the way to a maiden triumph in a regatta.

“I really enjoyed this event; the conditions, the competitors,” Stovell said.

“I am so happy to come away with my first-ever first place overall in a regatta and hope to keep up my performance going into the summer and the Youth World Championships in The Hague.”

Kempe, who secured the bronze medal at the Laser Radial Youth World Championships in Italy last year, the island’s first podium finish at the regatta, added: “It is exciting to see that Bermuda is on the rise in youth sailing, and we are beginning to prove our talents by winning on the international stage.”

The championships, which were held from April 9 to 15, were organised by the Royal Yachting Association and hosted by the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre.