Qualifying Ends in Style at the 2026 ILCA 7 Men’s Worlds

2026 ILCA 7 Men's Worlds race day 2

The second day of races at the 2026 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship concluded today with both scheduled races completed, bringing the Qualifying Series to a close as planned, with five races now on the scoreboard.

Racing started at 12:00 as scheduled, in around 11 knots of wind and some swell, which eased to 7–9 knots and smaller waves for the rest of the day.

Finn Lynch IRL continues to lead the championship on 9 points, followed by Ole Schweckendiek GER and Jonatán Vadnai HUN on 12 and 14 points respectively.

Sailing across three different fleets, the standout of the day was Michael Beckett GBR, who scored 1-3 in the red fleet to jump ten places into fifth, tied on 15 points with fourth-placed Elliot Hanson GBR and sixth-placed Tonci Stipanovic CRO.

Beckett wasn’t quite as taken with the conditions:

“Today was tricky. You don’t come to this part of the world for kind of light, fickle breezes. I feel you normally come for breezes that rain on you and are windy. So it’s been tough. It’s kind of like Palma and Mediterranean breezes, but good. Got a one-three today. Got my first OCS, so that was my first little try at going back and starting again. But yeah, had to sort of scramble a bit, but pulled back to third, so I was happy with that”.

Ryan Lo SGP, on the other hand, was finding the conditions much more to his liking:

“I’m feeling really great. The conditions kind of suit me. I like the light to medium stuff, so yeah, just happy to be able to tick the boxes and go quick. I’ll probably have a plan for the next few days to try to attack the Gold Fleet, and we’ll see day by day where we’re at”.

It was also a good day for Luc Chevrier LCA, from Saint Lucia, winning a race at a World Championship for the first time:

“It’s super nice to be winning at least a race in the World Championships. I finally had a good start. That played a big part in it. Basically, I made the difference on the downwind. In that first downwind, I managed to separate from my competitors and put that distance between me and second place. Then I just kept controlling the race on the second upwind, not taking too much risk, just following the fleet and covering as I know how to”.

Racing continues tomorrow with the first two races of the Elimination Series, where competitors will now sail in Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets. The first warning signal is planned for 12:00.

You can follow the races live through the Tracking, and via Reels and Stories on our social media— check the “How to Follow” section below for all the links.

The event is organised by the National Yacht Club and Royal St George Yacht Club, in conjunction with ILCA. It is supported by premium sponsors Sport Ireland and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and associate sponsors Rooster, The Royal Marine Hotel, XOCEAN, and KPMG.

How to follow the championship / Useful links

Report by Agustín Argüelles – ILCA | Photos: Jordan Roberts – Down Under Sail.

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