Cobham-Ultra GB2 has confirmed the eight young sailors who will represent Great Britain at the Youth America’s Cup in Naples in 2027, with the final four racing crew to be selected from the squad ahead of the event:
The British team will be looking to build on its performance at the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024, where it finished third in the Youth America’s Cup.
Selected Helms
- Finley Dickinson, 23, Hayling Island
- Sam Dickinson, 21, Hayling Island
- Ryan Littlechild, 24, Sydney
- Duncan Gregor, 22, Helensburgh
Selected Trimmers
- Sam Webb, 20, Lymington
- Jas Williams, 22, Falmouth
- Kuba Staite, 21, Hayling Island
- Matt Beck, 25, Herefordshire
Under the British team’s new structure, the Youth America’s Cup team will race under the Cobham-Ultra GB2 banner in an AC40, with sailors selected through the Athena Pathway.
The team will now head to Naples for a series of training camps, before relocating there full-time in early 2027 to continue preparations for the Youth America’s Cup, which takes place from 2–6 June 2027.
Athena Pathway received 158 applications before inviting 21 sailors to open trials at the Olympic legacy venue in Portland, Weymouth.
A core squad of 13 was named in March and since then the squad has been through a development programme combining simulator time, WASZP sailing and, for some, time on the AC40. The final 8 were then selected following an intensive three-day trial combining one-to-one interviews with assessed simulator sessions testing communication, teamwork and performance under pressure.
The five athletes from the Athena Youth Squad who were not selected for Naples remain important members of the pathway and are all young enough to compete in future editions of the Youth America’s Cup.
Cobham-Ultra GB2 Squad Insights:
Fin Dickinson – ILCA Under-21 World Champion and one of Britain’s leading young sailors, who narrowly missed a senior European medal with a fourth-place finish at the ILCA Senior European 2026 Championships in Athens.
Sam Dickinson – Brother to Fin, Sam competes on the international kite foiling circuits, as of September 2026 he is ranked 5th in the world and pushing to qualify for his first Olympic games.
Ryan Littlechild – Joins Cobham-Ultra GB2 after completing a 10-month development programme with GB1, having first been talent-spotted by Athena Pathway through his performances in the Moth class, including a fourth-place finish at the 2025 Moth Worlds.
Duncan Gregor – Has enjoyed success throughout the British youth sailing pathway, starting in the Optimist before progressing into the high-performance Nacra 17 class, where he now helms alongside Jas Williams.
Sam Webb – Has been a standout performer for Cobham-Ultra GB2, progressing directly from the initial simulator trials to earn a race seat at the last two Preliminary Regattas, racing alongside Olympic champions Hannah Mills and Ellie Aldridge.
Jas Williams – Has twice represented Great Britain at the Youth Sailing World Championships and now competes in the Olympic Nacra 17 class as crew alongside Duncan Gregor.
Kuba Staite – Has combined his professional sailing commitments with completing an Economics degree at the University of Exeter. He competes in wing foiling and has recently set the highly sought-after Round Hayling speed record.
Matt Beck – A familiar face to the Athena Pathway, Matt is the only returning member of the British team that finished third at the 2024 Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona who remains eligible for Naples. He has remained a permanent fixture within the programme, racing AC40s while also taking on coaching and simulator responsibilities with Athena Pathway.