NSC Sailing School alumnus Carlos Charabati, 17, has won gold at the 2024 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships in Portugal, ending June 30.
Carlos Charabati’s gold medal is a first in Canadian sailing at the annual ILCA 4 Youth World Championships. His performance is Canada’s best-ever in the history of the competition.
“It’s incredible! I haven’t even come to grips with what has happened yet. It doesn’t even feel real,” said Carlos Charabati, who represents the Pointe-Claire Yacht Club and the Clube Naval de Cascais.
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Carlos attended NSC’s sailing school from 2016-2018. Ellisa McCann, NSC Sailing School Head Instructor, recalls, “Carlos was one of the sweetest and most passionate sailors that I can remember in my time at NSC. Everyone who was here during his time is likely to remember him and his sister as well.”
Carlos started sailing at a very young age on his parent’s keelboat. Later at the age of seven, he took part in Ottawa’s Nepean Sailing Club’s sailing school and worked his way up the CanSail levels, reaching CanSail5 at the age of 11, and recognized as best young sailor under 13 and under 16 two years in a row. When he moved to Montreal at the age of 11, he started sailing the Optimist at Pointe Claire Yacht Club. Carlos managed to be on to the Canadian Optimist Team in less than a year by summer 2019. He was selected to be in the 2020 Opti South American Championship, 2020 Opti North American Championship and 2021 Opti World Championship team, unfortunately the pandemic canceled these events.
Carlos then decided to make a strategic and early move to the ILCA 4 class in June 2021. He performed well in his first year getting podiums locally by being in every provincial podium, nationally by winning CORK and internationally ranking third at the Euromed regatta in Malta, and silver medal at the 2021 Midwinters East in St.Pete, FL. In August of 2022, Carlos attended his first ILCA 4 Youth World Championship in Vilamoura PT, and placed 82nd overall out of 272, 1st Canadian and 4th North American.
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Photos and video are available on the Sail Canada facebook page.
For more information on NSC’s sail training program please see our Sail Training page.