420 Youth World Champions - Sabine Potter and Merle Neiuwland

Childhood hobbies turned into world‑class ambition for Sabine Potter and Merle Neiuwland. Friends since their Optimist days, the pair clicked instantly when they teamed up in the 420 - a partnership built on trust, teamwork, and celebrating every small win.

In December 2025, that connection carried them all the way to the top where they were crowned 420f Youth World Champions in Vilamoura.

From small wins in the Optimist, all the way through to the dramatic few days in Vilamoura, we caught up with the duo to learn about how they started, how the partnership formed, and what it felt like to bring home gold, plus their hopes for the future and advice for the next generation of young sailors.

1. How did you each first get into sailing, and who or what sparked your early passion for the sport?

Merle: I got into sailing because my parents signed me up to do a day of sailing in an Optimist whilst on holiday in the Netherlands. After that, we signed up to do a summer sailing program at my local club at Cardiff. Something that sparked my early passion for the sport was how free I felt on the water and having lots of fun with my friends

Sabine: I first started sailing at the age of 5 when my parents signed me up at our local clubs dinghy group. Where they taught us to sail in plastic oppies. This was because my brother at the time had started to race in the optimist fleet. So, as the younger sibling I naturally followed in his footsteps. The first time I ever raced was in 2015 at the optimist nationals in Pwllheli where I competed in mini racers. This led to me following my brother around the country, participating in regatta fleet at the odd event. Back then there was a sibling group that had formed where one of the parents would coach all the younger sibling at events and the squad camps. This is where my love for the sport started and the more time I spent on the water the more my love grew.

2. When did you realise sailing could become more than a hobby and something you wanted to pursue competitively?

Merle: I realised I wanted to pursue sailing competitively pretty soon in my sailing journey. Within the first few months of sailing, one of my coaches told me I should get a proper Optimist, rather than sailing in a plastic optimist, and do the Welsh Regional Championships so that I could join the Welsh Regional Squad. From then on I only wanted to improve and for me the Welsh Squads was the perfect balance of having lots of fun, with finding hidden beaches in West Wales and having a picnics and wanting to push forward and win races. I had then been selected to be part of the British Girls Squad which was a super cool opportunity and where I met Sabine!!

Sabine: For me any sport that I enjoyed or partook in I did competitively, therefore my hobbies always contained an element of competitiveness. As for sailing I started racing as soon as I was good enough to be able to sail around a course at regatta fleet level. But for me I saw sailing as a hobby until very recently. It was the weekend activity that allowed me to escape from everything else in my love even if it was for a few hours. It wasn’t until the end of my upper sixth year that I considered a competitive future in sailing. As all the school stress was gone, leaving just sailing and everything felt right.

3. How did your 420 partnership form, and what made you feel you’d work well together?

Our partnership formed from optimist where we were already friends and both wanted to try out the 420. We decided to try out together for a weekend and the rest is history! We had a really good team dynamic as soon as we started together and understood what the other person needed really quickly. Even from the beginning it always seemed that we were on the same page and everything between us was so easy. From the very start of our partnership, we always built each other up; for example we celebrated each little victory as though we had won the world Championships. We just clicked!

4. What were your expectations and feelings heading into the Youth World Championships?

Going into the Youth Worlds we were hoping to medal (preferably gold) as we had worked really hard in the months leading up to the Worlds. We had a strong belief in ourselves, as leading up to the event we had become British National Champions and had won the French autumn championships. We knew that we had a medal winning mentality. Of course there was a lot of nerves going into the event because we wanted to do well and the high expectations we had set on ourselves! But the main thing we felt was excitement. We had gone to the Youth Worlds the year before, so we knew what to expect with how the event is run. This meant that we could put all our energy into the racing and enjoy every minute of it.

5. What was going through your minds on the final day while waiting to hear if racing would go ahead, and how did it feel when you learned you were world champions?

The last day of the Youth Worlds was one of the most nerve raking days we have ever experienced. Between us we probably ate 3 pieces of watermelon for breakfast but we mentally prepared ourselves to race. As the day went on, and AP was still up, we had to make sure we were always ready to race at short notice. This meant our head in the game right up to the point of the flags changing. When we headed down to the boat park and there was talk of Ap over A going up, we suddenly became very interested in helping our teammates in the Nacra 15 to de-rig. This was to help keep us distracted from all the rumours going around the boat park. We then stood with the French and New Zealand team who were in 2nd and 3rd, as we saw an event official heading over to the flagpole. Seeing the AP over A flag being hoisted was such an overwhelming experience and we all just broke down into tears. It was really special to be good friends with the other girls on the podium and we shared lots of hugs and tears. Quickly after most of the British team joined us for celebrations before we all jumped into the water to celebrate with the 29er girls who had also just won gold!

6. What were the key strengths of your teamwork - technically or mentally - that helped you stand out during the event?

During the event, we made sure we stayed really focused when needed but after sailing we made sure to put our focus elsewhere. A favourite amongst the whole team was going out to play a game of pool. One of our key strengths on the water, is that we are aware of what the other person needs and can adapt our communication to the situation. This was helped with the fact that in months leading up to the event we really fine-tuned our technique, whether that was starting or mark rounding’s. Within the 420 team we had created a great team dynamic, filled with mutual support for each other. We made sure that all the controllable’s were in order and all we had to worry about was putting together best race strategy possible.

7. How has becoming Youth World Champions influenced your confidence and shaped your thoughts about the next steps in your sailing careers?

Becoming Youth World Champions has opened many doors for us and has shown us that if we work hard, we can really achieve our goals. It gives us a belief in our sailing ability and opportunities that could appear for us in the future. It has also made us realise that there are many paths in sailing that are possible for us to go out and achieve with a bit of blood and sweat lost on the way.

8. Looking ahead, what ambitions do you have for the future - whether new classes, new training opportunities, or long‑term Olympic or professional goals?

We are both currently part of the Olympic Double Handed Academy in the 470 class, making our way through the Olympic Pathway. Merle: I am currently going through trials for the Athena Pathway AC40 and campaigning to do the Open World Championships in the 420.

Sabine: I am focusing mainly on the 470 and looking to pursue this into the future.

Looking at a short-term perspective the future looks pretty uncertain, as it will be filled with jumping on as many opportunities as possible. Whether this is within one class or trying as many different areas of the sailing world. It all leads to the ultimate goal of reaching the peak of the chosen sailing pathway (e.g. Olympics, professional sailing, Vendee globe etc.) We hope to sail together again in the future!!

9. What advice would you give younger sailors hoping to reach the Youth Worlds one day?

One of the most important things we learnt over time was to work hard and put in the effort in training, but most importantly have lots of fun! Another lesson we learnt was know what you need to achieve your best (whether that’s as a team or solo), don’t be easily influenced by what’s happening around you!