Bermuda’s best young sailors will take on some of the best in the world at the twentieth RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup next week.

The event, which takes place at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club from October 21 to 25 will feature 15 overseas sailors, with all but one having competed at the world championships in Slovenia during the summer.

Among the overseas contingent are two sets of twins, boys from Norway and girls from Ireland, with that country making history at the world championships by being the first to send three siblings and one of just five teams to send an all-female squad.

Ines Mendez-Larminaux, from Puerto Rico, returns to Bermuda after finishing third at the 2024 event and placing seventh at the world championships this year.

Canadian Will Keilty is another overseas sailor to watch after a great year, that has included a win at the Canada national championships, a top-25 finish at the world championships and fifth at the South American Championships.

Argentina, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA will be represented with Bermuda fielding 13 contenders.

Among those are Thomas McBain, Jesse Savage and Heath Myers, who have had some good results overseas and will be looking to challenge the foreign sailors for bragging rights on the Great Sound.

All visiting sailors are accommodated in the homes of our local fleet, making the regatta have an element of a student exchange with Bermuda sailors makeing lifelong friends that they will continue to see in their sailing careers.