Meet Sailing Chandlery Youth Team for the SB20 UK Nationals
- Jul 3
- 3 min read
This year’s SB20 UK Nationals welcome a new talent with the first UK Youth entry confirmed - and they’re not just here to make up the numbers. Supported by Sailing Chandlery, also the title event sponsor, helm Jack Graham-Troll will lead this new youth team. All of the trio come from competitive dinghy racing and have a shared ambition to break into the world of keelboat sailing.
Representing Royal Lymington Yacht Club, Jack is no stranger to completion at high level:
“I started sailing when I was 11 in the ILCA 4 and have progressed through the youth classes, winning my first National Championship when I was 13. A real highlight was representing Great Britain at the 2023 Youth Worlds in Brazil,” - he said.
With multiple national titles and international gold fleet appearances to his name, Jack is ready for the next challenge - and the SB20 looks like the perfect fit for that!
Joining him are crew Henry Redmond from Covenham Sailing Club and Mark Ripley from Paignton Sailing Club. Like Jack, both have distinguished themselves in dinghy sailing and have recently been involved in the British Keelboat Academy.
“Henry has won the ILCA 4 Nationals and has been a regular at the front of the fleet for years,” - said Jack. “He’s also raced internationally and had a scholarship with the Andrew Simpson Performance Academy. This year he took part in the 2025 Round the Island Race to strengthen his experience in keelboat racing.”
Mark brings a strong background in single-handed dinghies and international experience to the team. He finished third overall and first Under 22 at the recent Europeans in RS Aero 7 in Circolo Vela Arco, Lake Garda. “Mark’s been a top performer in various classes and, like Henry, was part of the BKA this winter. He’s looking forward to more opportunities in keelboats.”
While the trio haven’t yet sailed as a full team, there’s plenty of chemistry to build on. “Henry and I have raced ILCA’s together for five years and he met Mark through the BKA. We know each other well and are hoping to get up to speed quickly,” - Jack explained.
That familiarity will be crucial given their limited SB20 experience. “We’re hoping to get on the water the day before racing starts and spend as much time as we can getting to grips with the boat and our roles onboard. The fact it’s a one-design fleet means we expect really close racing, so we’re focused on sharpening our boat handling from the start.”
One advantage they do bring is local knowledge:
“Henry and I have done a lot of ILCA sailing out of WPNSA (Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy), so we’re familiar with Weymouth Bay. Hopefully that gives us a small edge.”
The team will be racing under the flag of Sailing Chandlery, the SB20 UK dealer and proud supporters of youth sailing. “I’ve been supported by Sailing Chandlery in my ILCA sailing for the past seven years,” - said Jack. “They’ve helped me since I was pretty new to the sport and continued to support me as I progressed, including my Youth Worlds campaign in Brazil. I’m really grateful to Andrew and his team.”
The UK Class is delighted to have fresh young talent in the fleet - to welcome them into the SB20 as a jumpstart to their career in keelboat racing. With 13 entries now on the list, we’re pleased to welcome another youth team from Belgium, the Sailing Betties-2, for a test in our fleet before the Europeans. The young crews always bring a new dynamic to every event and these guys, no doubt, will be the ones to watch.
The countdown is on with just a few days to go until the SB20 UK Nationals kick off at Weymouth Sailing Club from 11–14 July. There’s still time to enter and join what promises to be a brilliant event both on and off the water!
For all the details and to register, click this link.
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