Help Send THEO and Averi to the World Youth Sailing Championships in Portugal!

This December, Theo Stolth and Averi Kuo will represent Canada at the 2025 Youth World Sailing Championships in Portugal!

This summer against steep odds, Theo and Averi battled their way to a coveted spot on Team Canada at the qualifying event. This December, they will face the world’s best 29er sailors — and with your help, they will be able to get there ready to compete!

Theo Stolth’s journey from Sooke’s small-town sailing docks to the Youth World's shows how far passion and perseverance can go! They first discovered sailing at a local summer camp through the Sooke Sailing Association. Not long after, Shaun Welters took the helm of Sooke Sailing and truly ignited a spark in the community. Under his leadership, the program grew to a new level—bringing in skilled coaches and creating race team opportunities that gave young sailors like Theo the chance to thrive. When getting coaches to Sooke became difficult, Theo persisted by their love of the sport and tackled the long commute to Victoria .

Theo moved to sailing at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, where training began under the coaching team led by Canada's own nationally and internationally renowned coach Steve McBride. Under Steve’s guidance, Theo transitioned into the high-performance 29er skiff — a fast, demanding two-person boat.

Going into the second year of sailing the 29er, Theo's initial partner moved onto University. They began sailing with Averi Kuo, a talented young skipper with an impressive record.

Averi started sailing in Optimist Green fleet at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club when she was 8 years old. As her focus and dedication grew, so did her achievements: she placed in the top 25 two years in a row at Canadian Optimist Nationals, earning spots to represent Team Canada at the European and North & South American Championships. At the BC Games, she took Gold in the Optimist class.

Averi’s transition to the 29er began just last September — and she has already made waves. At her first Midwinters West Regatta in Los Angeles with Theo, they nearly cracked the top ten.

By this spring, their rapid improvement caught attention. Coach McBride was adamant: Theo and Averi needed to go to Nationals in Kingston — the qualifier for Youth Worlds. It was beyond Theo's budget after the training regatta in Los Angeles, but they were determined. Theo worked all summer coaching at the yacht club to fund the trip and even traveled solo across the country to save costs.

That gamble paid off. Theo and Averi earned the top Canadian spot in their category — and with it, the ticket to the World Youth Sailing Championships in Portugal.

Getting to this point has taken relentless effort: working summers and weekends to buy a boat, funding the gear and upkeep, and seizing every training opportunity. Now they have earned the chance of a lifetime — to compete on the world stage, represent Canada, and take the next step toward their dreams of a sailing career.

We would be deeply grateful for your support in helping cover the many costs of training, travel, and competing at an event of this scale. Theo and Averi love sailing, and every contribution — big or small — helps bring this dream within reach.

Thank you for helping us send Theo and Averi to Portugal — and for believing in their journey.