Many of the best youth sailors in the world spent this week zipping across the waters of Mount Hope Bay, off the shore from Roger Williams University. The university and U.S. Sailing hosted the U.S. Youth Championships, welcoming more than 270 sailors from nine different countries.

They competed in six different classes, with races taking place all week, Monday, June 26, to Friday, June 30. Within classes, everyone competes on the exact same craft design, so races are a true test of sailing skills. The U.S. Championships were a qualifier for World Sailing’s 2023 Youth World Championships, so the stakes were high.

The competitors last week came to Bristol from across the country, with sailors from California, Long Island, Florida, Texas, the Carolinas and Hawaii, as well as St. Thomas, San Juan and other international homes.

Barrington resident Gus Macaulay, representing the Barrington Yacht Club, competed in the ILCA 6 class, featuring a small, single-handed dinghy that is one of the most popular small sail designs in the world. He finished 69th out of 94 sailors in the class, with a top race finish of 20th.

Local photographer Ed Gifford spent much of the week out on the water watching and photographing the races. Here are some of his images chronicling the action.

For a complete roundup of the action, as well as the final results, visit: www.ussailing.org.