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Dun Laoghaire, Ireland | 24 August 2025 | |
Perfect conditions presented challenges on opening day of the 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championships.
The 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championships opened today on Dublin Bay, where 212 sailors from 38 nations began their six-day series. Sunny skies and steady breeze set the stage, though shifting tides made for testing race conditions.
Both scheduled races were completed on time, serving as a warm-up ahead of fresher winds forecast for Monday, which could exceed 20 knots.
The opening day marked the start of the qualification round for the 139-boat ILCA 7 Men’s fleet, split into two groups. Meanwhile, the ILCA 6 Women’s fleet of 73 sailors is racing as a single group throughout the championship.
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"We had tough conditions - pretty challenging... starting was hard with a tight line and a lot of boats," said Conor McHugh USA in the Men's ILCA 7 class. "The tide switched during the day and in the second race I just couldn't get there and it hurt me a lot. I've got to have a good day tomorrow - I'm ready to go!".
The Spring flood tide had an effect on the first race but then turned for the second race and the sea state became choppier.
"It was tough - the first race was difficult to understand but it's a long championship," said Antonio Pascali ITA –2024 Youth Sailing World Champion–. "The tide was key, especially in the first race; you have to understand that and then you race."
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Getting both races completed on time for Day 2 will be key if the forecast stronger conditions arrive earlier as the ebb tide against wind will make for tough sailing where fitness will be key.
"It was a bit too strong for me and my weight. My downwinds were quite fast so I was happy with that," said Sebastiaan Van Ofwegen NED. "I'm hoping for some lighter conditions for the next few days. It's not the forecast but anything can happen."
It's a point echoed by his team-mate as all sailors eye the forecast and were thankful to be ashore early on the first day to get rested and prepared for a demanding second day.
"I'm pretty happy for my first under 21 event," said Abel Melens NED who is planning for 30 knots on Monday so expects more hiking work. "The hardest part was getting off the start well."
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Men's Under 21 – Provisional Top 5
- Afthanasios Kyfidis GRE – 4 pt
- Sebastian Kempe BER – 5 pt
- Edward Reid AUS – 8 pt
- Fernando Abella Garrido ESP – 8 pt
- Omer Vered Vilenchik ISR – 8 pt
Men's Under 19 – Provisional Top 5
- Omer Vered Vilenchik ISR – 8 pt
- Bartol Jocic CRO – 14 pt
- Karol Krupski Teterycz ESP – 16 pt
- Nicolaas Van Nunen NED – 21 pt
- Adamantios Petrianos GRE – 26 pt
Full Men's results
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In the Women’s ILCA 6 fleet, Roos Wind NED, the 2023 Youth World Champion, has taken an early lead with a 7th-place finish followed by a race win.
Local sailor Sienna Wright IRL started strongly with a 3rd in the opening race, but a 31st in the afternoon dropped her to 12th overall. Once three races are completed, the single discard will come into play – a chance for Wright to recover quickly.
As always, clean starts are key, but the quality of the fleets competing in Dún Laoghaire is proving highly challenging.
"I had a plan going into both the races but it was just pretty hard to execute the start - it was super-competitive," commented Megan Thomson GBR. "I'll be more bold on the start line but no letters on the score!"
Her teammate Poppy Luxton GBR also reflected on the importance of starts:
"My plan was to get some good starts and in to clean air and do a bit of boatspeed," said Poppy Luxton GBR. "The starts (didn't go to plan) I was a bit too tired today so lots of caffeine tomorrow morning!"
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Women's Under 21 – Provisional Top 5
- Roos Wind NED – 8 pt
- Isabella Mendoza Cabezas USA – 9 pt
- Marga Perello ESP – 14 pt
- Emma Mattivi ITA – 16 pt
- Hanna Rogowska POL – 16 pt
Full Women's results
Organisers were pleased with a smooth start to the championship.
“I'm very happy - sunny, windy, two beautiful races done - it couldn't be better," said Andrus Poksi, ILCA Technical Delegate. "Looking ahead I'm expecting the full schedule of two races every day. Maybe I'm too naive to say I'm not expecting any rain but it doesn't matter, that's Sailing - we have different conditions."
Racing continues on Monday with the first warning signal planned for midday (local time).
The 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championship is organised by the Royal St George Yacht Club, the National Yacht Club, and ILCA, with support from Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Sport Ireland, XOcean, and Rooster Sailing.
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How to follow the 2025 ILCA U21 Worlds
We'll be publishing a daily report with links to results and photos at ilcasailing.org. You can find all information about the competition on the event website: 2025ilcau21.ilca-worlds.org. Live action with interviews, videos, and pictures will also be posted daily across ILCA's social media channels. We encourage you to follow and subscribe to stay instantly notified about the latest updates:
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About ILCA Under 21 World Championships
The ILCA Under 21 World Championships is a prestigious international sailing event that showcases the next generation of elite sailors in the ILCA class. Bringing together the best young athletes from around the globe, the championship provides a vital bridge between youth competition and senior-level racing. As a proving ground for future Olympians and professional sailors, it offers rising talent the opportunity to sharpen their skills, gain invaluable international experience, and build lasting connections within the worldwide sailing community.
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Report by Agustín Argüelles – ILCA
Source: David Branigan/Oceansport
Photos by David Branigan/Oceansport
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