Cobham-Ultra GB2 has named the eight young sailors who will carry Great Britain's hopes into the Youth America's Cup in Naples in 2027. Four will race, four will serve as squad members, and the final crew won't be locked in until closer to the event itself.
The helms are Finn Dickinson, 23, and his brother Sam Dickinson, 21, both from Hayling Island, along with Ryan Littlechild, 24, from Sydney, and Duncan Gregor, 22, from Helensburgh. Trimming duties fall to Sam Webb, 20, of Lymington; Jas Williams, 22, from Falmouth; Kuba Staite, 21, also of Hayling Island; and Matt Beck, 25, from Herefordshire.
Under the British team's revamped structure, the Youth team races as Cobham-Ultra GB2 in an AC40, with sailors drawn entirely through the Athena Pathway programme.
Getting there wasn't easy. Athena Pathway received 158 applications, whittled that down to 21 sailors invited to open trials at the Olympic legacy venue in Portland, Weymouth, then named a core squad of 13 back in March. From there it was simulator time, WASZP sailing, and for some, hours logged aboard the AC40 itself.
The final cut came down to a three-day trial: one-to-one interviews and assessed simulator sessions designed to test communication, teamwork and how each sailor handled pressure.
Five sailors from the Athena Youth Squad missed selection for Naples. They're still young enough for future editions, though, and remain part of the wider pathway.
Hannah Mills OBE, Team Principal of Cobham-Ultra GB2 and Athena Pathway, said the squad's variety is its strength. "Our Youth team brings together sailors from a real mix of backgrounds, from wing foiling and kiteboarding to the 49er, Nacra, Moth and Laser. Having athletes who each bring different skills to the table adds real depth to how the group learns and develops together."
She's sailed alongside several of them already. "I've already sailed with several of the team, and I'm hugely impressed by the dedication, talent and energy of this next generation. I can't wait to watch them develop as a team and push for success in Naples next June."
Each sailor arrives with a different story. Finn Dickinson is the ILCA Under-21 World Champion and already knocking on the door of senior honours, having finished fourth at the ILCA Senior European 2026 Championships in Athens. His brother Sam races the international kite foiling circuit and sat fifth in the world as of September 2026, chasing Olympic qualification.
Ryan Littlechild joins after a 10-month development stint with GB1, first spotted by Athena Pathway for his Moth class form, including a fourth at the 2025 Moth Worlds. Duncan Gregor has worked his way up from Optimist through to the Nacra 17, where he now helms alongside Jas Williams, who has represented Great Britain twice at the Youth Sailing World Championships.
Sam Webb has been one of the standout performers in the programme, progressing straight from simulator trials into a race seat at the last two Preliminary Regattas, sailing alongside Olympic champions Hannah Mills and Ellie Aldridge. Kuba Staite has combined professional sailing with an Economics degree at the University of Exeter, and recently set the Round Hayling speed record in wing foiling. Matt Beck is the link to Barcelona, the only returning member of the British team that finished third at the 2024 Youth America's Cup still eligible for Naples, now combining AC40 racing with coaching and simulator work for Athena Pathway.
The Youth America's Cup, open to sailors 26 and under, has become a genuine proving ground, and Britain knows this better than most. Neil Hunter won the Youth America's Cup with Britain in Bermuda in 2017 and was promoted to the senior team that same year, becoming the youngest sailor at the America's Cup. He went on to race the 36th and 37th America's Cups for Britain and now sails with the Emirates GBR SailGP Team.
Seven youth teams will contest the Naples event, held as part of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup. Britain will be aiming to improve on third place, its result from the 2024 Youth America's Cup in Barcelona.
The shift to a two-year America's Cup cycle matters here too. Several of this squad could still be age-eligible for the following Youth America's Cup, meaning some may build experience across two campaigns rather than one.
Jas Williams reflected on what it means to be part of the programme. "It's really inspiring to be coming up through the pathway as part of the next generation, and it's an amazing team to be a part of. There are so many moving parts to a campaign like this, and just watching it all come together is so inspiring."
Training camps in Naples come next, before the squad relocates there full-time in early 2027. The Youth America's Cup itself runs from 2 to 6 June that year, and for these eight sailors, the real test starts long before the start gun fires.
