Borghesi’s All-Star Females Race to SB20 Glory in Dubai

(MENAFN- SOCIATE) Charlotte Borghesi’s all-female crew are outright winners of the Wicked SB20 Middle East & UAE Championships which took place out of the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC) last weekend
Charlotte Borghesi and her all-women team raced to overall victory at last weekend’s Wicked SB20 Middle East & UAE Championships in Dubai.

A fleet of 25 one-design SB20 sportsboats competed for three days out of the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC) in a variety of light to moderate wind conditions. There were a number of Olympic medallists and world champions competing in the lightweight sportsboats.

Borghesi, skipper of Kidzink, was sailing with a strong team that included two-time Italian 470 Olympic representative, Federica Salvà, Swedish 470 Olympic bronze medallist from Paris 2024, Lovisa Karlsson, and British Olympic gold medallist in the Yngling from Beijing 2008, Pippa Kenton-Page.

Current women’s world champion and former outright world champion in the SB20 class, it’s no surprise to find Borghesi and her team up the front of the fleet. However, the determined skipper never takes anything for granted. “The Middle East Championship was, yet again, a great event,” she said. “Unlike last year the conditions were super tricky. Very light and shifty winds dominated the weekend and with a high quality fleet of both local and international sailors and professionals the racing required full on focus.

“It’s such a privilege to be able to sail amongst family and friends at the highest level and be at the front of the fleet, next to my husband Paolo and my 11-year-old son William who gave very seasoned professionals a run for their money.” The Borghesi family are a formidable force in SB20 racing. Aside from Charlotte’s victory, Paolo’s team on Koda were third overall and young son William’s Wind Warriors were sixth overall.

Borghesi was proud of her son’s starting and upwind pace. “William with his team Rhys, Matteo and Afonso arrived at the top mark in the top three in almost every race - super impressive. Paolo [her husband], Diogo and George managed a third place … but they are focused on working their way to the top in time for the World Championships later this year.

“My team is amazing. All previous Olympians with two medals on board,” said Borghesi. “But more than this, these girls are committed to teamwork and excellence and progressing the sport for women; a team we don’t want to be exclusively female but we want to be predominantly female in all of the classes we sail. We will continue to sail the SB20 in Dubai and at key international events - definitely the Worlds in France next year.

“We also have plans for next year in the Swan 28 - a class dominated by men - so we hope to take them by storm. And we will continue to race on the RS21 circuit in Italy.”

Now in its third consecutive year, and its second year as part of the SARF National Championships, the Wicked SB20 Middle East & UAE Championships is becoming well established as a ‘must do’ event in the region.

Michal Pajak, skipper of SuperSonic as well as SB20 UAE Class Chairman, dominated the last day of racing with his crew of Gaetan Herve and Dan Kilsby with scores of 2,3,2. This lifted SuperSonic to seventh overall and well ahead of some fully professional crews, earning Pajak the Corinthian trophy.

“Over the past few years, we’ve built a strong and healthy SB20 fleet here in Dubai, one we’re truly proud of,” said Pajak. “The local SB20 community continues to grow, and the racing at Dubai Offshore Sailing Club continues to attract top international sailors from around the world.

“This weekend delivered world-class competition, with multiple Olympians, World Champions, and European Champions battling it out on the water. Huge congratulations to the team on Kidzink, our 2025 SB20 Middle East Champion. An outstanding performance and a well-deserved title.

“A big thank you to everyone who made this event possible, our main sponsor Wicked, as well as all sailors, organisers, volunteers and supporters. You’ve made this championship one to remember.”

Alan Ruigrok, skipper of Old Spice, finished ninth overall and was third in the Corinthian fleet battle behind SuperSonic and Ragged Edge, skippered by Tom Cracknell. Ruigrok commented: “As a new team this season, we’ve focused hard on preparation, and we’re lucky that our Commodore’s Cup club racing is at such a high level, it’s been ideal training.

“Despite the light winds, the race management did a great job delivering a full series. The fleet was stacked with professional sailors, which really pushed us. We had a lot of fun out there, and it’s a real privilege to race alongside sailors of that calibre right on our doorstep. We’re excited to keep building from here.”

Borghesi concluded: “The standard of racing in Dubai goes from strength to strength, and we hope it continues to grow. Dubai has amazing sailing conditions for six months of the year and DOSC along with the race organisation and the volunteers are always amazing. Getting nine solid races in the bag despite the tricky conditions was really impressive.”

The SB20 fleet will be back out in force for the next big event at DOSC, the IRC Middle East Championship, taking place over the weekend of 13-14 December. More than 100 boats are expected, competing across a range of dinghy, sportsboat and keelboat classes.

Results from Wicked SB20 Middle East & UAE Championships

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