19 Winners Crowned at Foiling Week Pensacola 2025
by Foiling Week 5 Mar 00:13 NZDT
February 24 - March 2, 2025
Nineteen winners have been crowned and the inaugural Foiling Week Pensacola has come to a close after seven days of racing, community events, and social engagements. Inclusive of the largest Waszp North American Championship in U.S. history, the world of foiling was shared with spectators from far and wide, and conversations are already under way for a return to the U.S. in 2026 after a fantastic debut event.
"We knew from our first visit to Pensacola that the city was the right fit for our first event of this scale outside of the original Lake Garda edition," said Scott Over, Managing Partner of Foiling Week and Board Member of The Foiling Organization. "But what we couldn't have predicted was the full extent to which the city opened their arms to foiling enthusiasts from around the world. The community laid the groundwork to initiate this as a true home for foiling in the U.S. From our friends at Yacht Clubs, to Sail Pensacola and the Hilton Hotel, Community Maritime Park, and so many others, it was an enormous wave of support that made this week a success."
Class Winners:
- Boat Classes
- Moth: Riley Gibbs
- Waszp: Micha De Weck
- A-Class Catamaran: Ravi Parent
- BirdyFish: Ewan Dossin & Ethan Johnson
- iFly 15: Helmed by Martin Langhoff
- Open Catamaran: Dylan Tomko & Casey Small (Nacra 15 FCS)
- Surf Sports
- Session 1
- Pump Men: Gage Schoenherr
- Pump Women: Ansley Pritchard
- Downwind Men: Gwen La Tutour
- Downwind Women: Ava Segersten
- Session 2 (in collaboration with Foil Surf Race League & Surf Foil Tour)
- Foil Assist: Keaton Fischer
- Pro: Brady Hurley
- Open: Jeff McKee
- SUP: Gage Schonherr
- Open Women: Ansley Pritchard
- EFoil: Justin Chait
- Pump: Edan Fiander
- Wind Sports
- Open Wing Men: Gwen La Tutour
- Open Wing Women: Ava Segersten
- Kite Foil: Leif Given
Full results available here.
Taking home the win in the Moth fleet just a few months after the 2024 Moth World Championships in New Zealand was Riley Gibbs of Long Beach, CA. Gibbs is a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, an America's Cup athlete with American Magic, and an avid Moth sailor working to grow the US class. "The racing was amazing," said Gibbs. "Everyone really stepped up their game from the Worlds and took a lot of lessons out of that championship to bring their best to Pensacola. Beyond this week, we're working together as a U.S. class to take it one notch better in Garda for Foiling Week Malcesine 2025." When asked about the city as a host venue, Gibbs said "Foiling Week here in Pensacola was phenomenal... you can feel the southern hospitality. The city has been welcoming to all of us, we've had great weather, and we look forward to returning."
Foiling Week Pensacola also marked the largest Waszp event to date in North America with over 40 athletes taking the starting line for four days of racing that doubled as the 2025 North American Championship. "It's great to see the athletes get together to compete in a venue like Pensacola," said Tyler Bjorn, Waszp North American Class & New Business Development Manager. "And positioning this as the North American Championship brought in awesome competition from Italy, Switzerland, France, and Belgium. Foiling is growing and we look forward to continuing that growth with Foiling Week."
The Pensacola edition is the first location to open its doors to spectators at this scale, exposing the public to stadium sailing. Scheduled in tandem with one of the oldest Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S., Foiling Week welcomed an impressive crowd of festivity goers to experience the world of foiling just a few blocks away from parade routes. "Pensacola has a really cool vibe," added Bjorn. "It's laid back, the bay is awesome for sailing, and the apres-sail is really fun. We've had great conditions the whole week and can't wait to come back."
Foiling Week Pensacola hosted a wide range of activities beyond racing, including a local beach clean up in partnership with BioDesign, a morning of children's activities with the Satori Foundation for local students at the Dixon School of the Arts & Sciences at Pensacola Yacht Club, and a Foiling Film Festival with seven short films celebrating the stories and adventures of foiling. Additionally, foiling industry leaders gathered at the United States Foiling Business Forum to discuss the future of the industry and explore new economic development opportunities for the city of Pensacola.
Next on the Foiling Week program is a return to the original Malcesine location on Lake Garda, Italy, set to take place June 22-29, 2025. Registration will be available at this link on March 5th for International Moth, Waszp, Switch, BirdyFish, and ETF26 classes, with more classes to be announced.