The St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Sailing Association is highlighting the remarkable breakthrough performance of two young national athletes, Scarlett Hadley and Kai Marks Dasent, who carried the country’s flag at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in the competitive i420 Class sailing regatta.
Though the promising duo narrowly missed securing a spot on the podium, their accomplishments at the regional tournament carry extraordinary weight for the small island nation’s growing sailing program, association officials emphasized in an official press statement.
Over the course of 12 tightly contested races, Hadley and Dasent went head-to-head with some of the most seasoned sailing competitors across the Caribbean and Central America. Throughout the event, the pair showcased steady grit, unshakable resilience and dramatic improvement race over race, ultimately closing out the regatta in sixth place overall. The finish came down to the final leg, with the SVG team just falling behind their counterparts from Barbados in a razor-thin battle for fifth position.
What makes the sixth-place finish all the more impressive, association officials noted, is the extremely limited preparation window the team had in the i420, a two-person dinghy class. The pair had only trained together in the boat for a few months ahead of the CAC Games, marking their first ever international competition as a doubles team. Just qualifying to compete at this elite regional level was counted as a landmark win, requiring months of exceptional commitment of time, physical training and personal dedication from both young athletes.
The strong showing from Hadley and Dasent is just one visible sign of the rising momentum behind SVG’s national sailing development program, the association said. Even as the CAC Games wrapped up, another young SVG sailor is already competing on the global stage: 14-year-old Joshua Weinhardt is currently representing the country in the ILCA 4 Class at the Youth World Sailing Championships being held in Denmark.
Following his conclusion of competition at the CAC Games in the Dominican Republic, Kai Marks Dasent will immediately depart for Denmark to join the global field competing in the ILCA 6 World Championships next week. The back-to-back international appearances mark an unprecedented busy and high-profile period of global representation for SVG sailing.
In its statement, the SVG Sailing Association expressed widespread pride in the entire ecosystem that has supported this recent run of success, from competitive athletes and elite coaches to recreational fun sailors, volunteer event organizers and community supporters. “Every international appearance helps place St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the global sailing map and inspires the next generation of sailors from across our islands,” the release read.
To grow the program further, the association issued an open invitation to community members of all ages and backgrounds to get involved, whether they are interested in sailing for recreation, competitive racing, personal skill development, or pursuing a professional career in the sport. Interested parties can reach the association via email at [email protected] for more information on how to participate.