SC Lowcountry teen wins prestigious sailing competition. And he’s not the first
.png "The results of the ILCA 4 North American Championship. Ford’s two first place finishes helped him win in the final tally.")
A Hilton Head teen sailor has won this year’s North American sailing championship against international competition.
Colton Ford, 16, placed first in the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) 4 North American Championship in San Pedro, California. The championship took place over three days between July 9 and 12, and he placed first in two of six races, narrowly beating out Swiss-salior Leo Gosling, who placed third in the European championship this year. Ford belongs to Hilton Head’s South Carolina Yacht Club.
Ford is one of many Lowcountry youth sailors to win or take podium spots at prestigious international sailing competitions. SCYC’s James Pine won gold in the under 16-year-old category at the 2023 ILCA 4 Youth World Championship in Greece, and silver overall, and five SCYC teen sailors competed in the world championship that year. Charleston sailor Marcus Durlach won the 2025 ILCA 4 North American Championship.
The teen sailors compete in Laser 4 sailboats, named for their four square meters of sail. The 130-pound, 13-foot-hull dinghies are raced around courses requiring sharp, precise handling. Sailors must manage the sail, tiller and their own body weight to win. Not to mention the rough waves and winds of open water.
Colton began sailing with SCYC when he was only seven years old, SCYC Sailing Director Mark Newman said. Ford trained with SCYC’s Sweta Shervegar, a highly successful competitive sailor. Preparations for the championship included sailing at the south end of Hilton Head Island, where there are similar conditions to the championship’s location, Newman said. Colton’s win in the first of the championship’s races put him in a strong position to win it all, Newman said.
Newman said many of the 2026 North America championship’s entrants are Olympic hopefuls. The 2028 Olympics will be in Los Angeles, and sailors will compete in the larger-sailed Laser 7 sailboats.
SCYC sailors Pine and Arabella Duer are preparing for a shot at the Olympics themselves, Newman said. Duer has aimed for the Olympics since she competed in the 2023 world championships in Greece, according to previous Island Packet reporting.
Pine will sail in the 2026 ILCA 4 Youth World Championship in August. It takes place in Aarhus, Denmark from Aug. 1 to 9.