Gavin Ball Makes Waves in the Sailing World

At the 2024 WASZP Games, an elite sailing competition held in Norway, Gavin Ball surprised the field when he raced to eighth place among 180 competitors in the solo men’s regatta. With his foiling feats, the 21-year-old from Hawai‘i Kai became the first American to break into the top 10 at the world championship event, which started in 2017.

Two months later in October, he partnered with Pearl Lattanzi, also from Honolulu, at the FIV Foil International off the Italian island of Sardinia. Ball and Lattanzi, who herself placed fourth in the women’s division at the WASZP Games, ended up capturing the nation’s trophy event.

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Ball’s mother swam competitively in college and his father is a standout paddler and kayaker. But it wasn’t until Ball started sailing at age 12 at the Hawai‘i Kai Boat Club that he found his niche. “I love the water, but I needed the freedom to do what I wanted to do,” he says. “A bunch of my friends had started sailing, so I started and really enjoyed it. It’s so freeing, and the only limit is how far you take it.”

As a high school senior at Mid-Pac, he competed on the sailing team and helped capture the state championship. Two years ago, he decided to pursue the sport professionally, which he says has been exhilarating. “When there’s a breeze that’s just howling, and I have Foo Fighters songs running through my head, I’m just taking in everything and trying to eke every little bit of power out of the boat,” he says. Ultimately, he hopes to make the America’s Cup and SailGP teams—goals he’s steering toward at full speed.