Wind whipped across Dublin Bay. Waves rolled through the course. With the breeze holding between 12 and 17 knots, Charlotte Rose ’22 had two races standing between her and a world championship. Rose delivered.
The Jacksonville University alumna captured the 2026 International Laser Class Association (ILCA) 6 Women’s World Championship in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, becoming the first American woman to win the event since Paige Railey in 2005. The ILCA 6 is a one-person dinghy raced at the Olympic level.
Days later, the reality of becoming a world champion is still setting in for Rose.
“It feels really great. It’s the cherry on top of the season,” Rose said. She believes winning a world championship can be even harder than competing for an Olympic medal. There are more than 100 boats competing at the world championship, compared with just over 40 at the Olympics. “It’s something you dream of your entire career. I have this big plaque with all the previous winners, and they’re Olympic gold medalists, medalists of all kinds and such amazing sailors. To be part of that is just so crazy to me.”
For JU Head Sailing Coach and Waterfront Executive Director Jon Faudree, the moment was a mix of excitement and emotion. He and the JU Sailing Team watched Rose clinch the world championship from their team van just before competing at a regatta.
“The kids were definitely excited, many of whom have never even met her,” Faudree said. “It’s hard for people outside the sport to really appreciate what an accomplishment this is. Charlotte really helped put us on the map, and to be a part of that journey was definitely emotional for me.”
Rose built a decorated collegiate career at JU. She won back-to-back singlehanded national championships in 2021 and 2022, earned two Collegiate All-American honors and captained the JU Sailing Team while balancing international training with the U.S. Sailing Team. Faudree remembers the intensity Rose brought to that community.
“She is the ultimate competitor,” Faudree said. “She just set an example of that intense drive. When we weren’t competing, she was training in the gym or she was with the U.S. Olympic team.”
Rose also reflects fondly on her time at JU. “I love JU because it is a small school and I never felt alone,” Rose said. “Anywhere I walked on campus, there was always someone I knew. It wasn’t just the sailing team, it was professors too. It’s just such a friendly community and I really enjoyed my time there.”
The world title carries added significance after Rose came within reach of her first Olympic Games two years ago. She finished second at the 2024 World Championships before placing third at the U.S. Olympic Trials and missing the American berth for the Paris Games.
“I feel like losing the Olympic Trials doesn’t define me anymore,” Rose said. “I left it on the coat hook and put it in the back of my closet. That chapter’s closed, and I wanted to be a different person and approach this campaign a lot differently than I did the last one.”
Now Rose has her sights set on Los Angeles in 2028.
“The goal is obviously still the same,” Rose said. “I’m looking for a gold medal in LA. I just keep pushing, keep training and put my head down, always striving for more.”
