Malta has secured a historic victory at the SB20 European Championships, with Team BOOST Stella Maris, being crowned European Female Champions in Ostend, Belgium.
Flying the flag for the Royal Malta Yacht Club and the SB20 Malta Association, skipper Gabriella Mifsud led teammates Anna Basalkina, Mattea Ciantar, and Emilie Gregory to an impressive showing over thirteen fiercely contested races.
The SB20 is a highly competitive one-design keelboat class, raced internationally by both professional and amateur sailors. Known for its strict one-design rules, it places emphasis on teamwork, tactics, and skill rather than technical advantages, making it one of the most exciting and accessible classes on the world sailing circuit.
Their participation in the European Championships followed their victory in the Maltese SB20 National League, underlining their dominance in the local stage.
The team finished 13th overall, competing in a strong international fleet made up of highly experienced SB20 sailors. Despite an inauspicious start to the series, with a 32nd place in the opening race on Monday, the Maltese team showed remarkable resilience. They fought back with determination, steadily climbing the leaderboard and proving themselves as a compact and focused unit, ultimately closing the event with an impressive fifth place in the final race.
Adding to the challenge were the conditions, which were anything but familiar to the Maltese sailors. Far from the Mediterranean environment they are used to, the team faced large Atlantic-style waves, strong tidal currents, and an average wind speed in the low 20s, with wave heights averaging 1.3 metres. Adapting quickly to these demanding conditions proved key to their success.
While relatively new to the SB20 Class, the sailors bring with them a strong sailing background, with collective experience that includes the gruelling Rolex Middle Sea Race. Their ability to adapt quickly and maintain consistency was key to their success.
Speaking after the event, skipper Gabriella Mifsud said: “This is a very proud moment for us and for Malta. As an all-female team, we wanted to show that with hard work, focus, and determination we can compete at the highest level. Winning the European title after such a tough start is a huge achievement and one we hope will inspire more women to take up sailing.”
This result, the first ever for a Maltese SB20 team reflects the depth of sailing expertise in Malta and the determination of its female athletes, reinforcing the island’s place among Europe’s competitive sailing nations.
Team BOOST Stella Maris extend their gratitude to SportMalta for making the team’s participation possible as well as the SB20 Malta Association and Boost for the support that made this achievement possible.