Dun Laoghaire, Ireland – With the Los Angeles and Brisbane Olympic Games firmly in sight, more than 200 competitors from 37 nations are in the final stages of travel plans to Ireland for the ILCA U21 World Championships (Dún Laoghaire, Ireland – 22-29th August 2025).
Set on the doorstep of Ireland’s capital city, Dublin Bay will host the racing for the women (ILCA 6) and men (ILCA 7) in their single-handed dinghies for six days of racing on course areas close to Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
The championship will also be an important indicator for 2026 when both classes will sail their senior titles at the same venue which is co-organised by the National Yacht Club (NYC) and Royal St. George Yacht Club (RSGYC).
A number of teams are also expected to arrive early at the historic harbour in August for advance training and event preparation.
Irish sailors are looking forward to welcoming their fellow sailors from all over the world to their home waters. Dun Laoghaire is the base for Irish Sailing “Performance HQ” that has seen several notable results at senior level recently with a first ever medal at world championship level won by Eve McMahon. Double Olympian Finn Lynch has also won bronze at two Sailing Grand Slam events this season alone.
Sienna Wright from nearby Howth, who has multiple medals at youth level and sailed well at the senior worlds will be one of 17 Irish sailors competing at the U21 worlds.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming the sailors, coaches and class officials as well as family and friends to the beautiful port town of Dún Laoghaire in less than two months time,” commented Susan Spain, co-chair of the NYC / RSGYC organising committee. “It’s a great time of the year for breeze and the harbour and bay will be the perfect venue for a great championship.”
Visitors to the harbour will also be able to see a large fleet of Water Wags, the world’s first one-design dinghy that was first sailed locally 140 years ago and has a large following.
Regular ‘wag’ sailors include Annalise Murphy, the Rio 2016 Olympic Silver medallist who started sailing on Dublin Bay along with her father Con Murphy, the International Race Officer for the U21 worlds and her mother, Cathy MacAleavey who competed at Seoul ’88.
“This event is going to be a celebration of sport and the power that competitive sailing has to bring people together for a unifying purpose,” said David Williams, co-chair of the NYC / RSGYC organising committee. “The ILCA dinghies are the world’s most popular class of sailing boat and the fleet expected next month will be a fitting tribute to the original Water Wag sailors of the 19th century.”
The organizing authority is the Royal St George Yacht Club and National Yacht Club.
Follow the event at the Event website and on social media
Event website: https://2025ilcau21.ilca-worlds.org
ILCA Facebook: facebook.com/ilcasailing
ILCA Instagram: @ilca_sailing
Text by: David Branigan/Oceansport
Photos by: David Branigan/Oceansport
Videos by: Richard Langdon/Ocean Images