The two boys, who attend Greig City Academy in Hornsey, learnt to sail as part of an outdoor programme run by their geography teacher Jon Holt, 47, who joined the school in 2005 and made it his goal to give pupils the opportunity to sail.
Alongside racing, the students fundraise around £20,000 annually with their teammates to maintain, restore, and rig the boats they use in practice and competition, all of which they manage by themselves with help from Mr Holt.
Christopher-Joel, who won the top prize, has been sailing for seven years, and has been a key part of the Greig City Academy’s Scaramouche Youth Sailing Project since its first appearance at Cowes Week back in 2016.
Last year a Greig City Academy team set a record time by circumnavigating the Isle of Wight in just 9 hours 40 minutes, with times adjusted to 7 hours 32 minutes to compensate for the small, relatively cheap boat they were using.
Mr Holt told the Telegraph: “Christopher is basically from a very disadvantaged area and has somehow used sailing to transform his life.
“He is one of the best examples of breaking the glass ceiling, he just ignores the image that sailing is for people who are very wealthy – he proves you can do this sport regardless of background if you have enough determination.”
Kai won the Musto Young Skipper’s Trophy for his performance helming one of the boats.
Mr Holt said: “Kai’s achievement is the result of massive commitment and leadership. He has been in an incredibly competitive class, match racing every day with a boat with an Olympian and a world champion.
“So to win the Young Skippers trophy in the most prestigious yachting regatta in the world is game changing.”
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