The pair’s success brings Ireland’s tally in the new Grand Slam series to five podium finishes between them.

7 International medals in 2025

A landmark year for Irish sailing has delivered seven international medals, including a World Championship Bronze, five Grand Slam podiums, and a Bronze at the U23 European Championships.

In the ILCA 7 fleet, Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) and Ewan McMahon (Howth YC) navigated the early rounds in mid-fleet positions before the knockout stages reset the competition.

McMahon exited in the quarter-finals, while Lynch advanced to the final three alongside Italy’s Lorenzo Brando Chiavarini and Britain’s Michael Beckett, the world’s top-ranked sailor.

Golden end to the season

“The final race was a strange one, we had 50-degree shifts in the wind, and I was last on the second lap,” said Carlow sailor Lynch. “But the boys ahead didn’t see a mark change that I spotted, and I managed to slip through for the win. I didn’t have my best week overall, but today I sailed well, and it’s fantastic to end the season with a Gold medal.”

Eve McMahon (Howth YC) dominated much of the ILCA 6 regatta, posting four race wins and holding the overall lead for most of the week. On the final day  her best result was second place, allowing Poland’s Agata Barwinska to edge ahead for Gold.

“Eve sailed brilliantly all week,” said Vasilij Zbogar, Irish Sailing’s ILCA 6 coach. “This new format is very exciting but also unforgiving—there’s no room for mistakes. The Polish sailor just managed to pull ahead on the final day, but a Silver medal is an excellent result. Eve has shown she can deliver consistently at the highest level, and that’s hugely promising for the future.”

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The 17-year old Howth Yacht Club sailor won the 2021 Youth World Championship at Lake Garda, Italy, last August.

McMahon celebrated in the traditional manner by jumping overboard. Her close competitor Roos Wind from The Netherlands congratulated McMahon back on her dingy.

The ILCA6, previously known as the Laser Radial, is the women’s single-handed event for the Olympic Games. Annalise Murphy won silver for Ireland at Rio 2016 after narrowly missing the podium at the London Games four years previously.

“You really couldn’t get better than that”

“Originally, I was using this regatta as a warm-up event as I hadn’t sailed for a long time while sitting my Leaving Cert,”said McMahon shortly after coming ashore. “I was really pleased with my final day, I finished with two bullets so you couldn’t really get better than that.”

McMahon now heads to The Netherlands for the Sailing Youth World Championships next week followed by Texas for the defence of her class world title.

“I’m just focussing on my processes and on my own sailing and not at results too much – but obviously a win would be great,” she said.

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There was a stormy conclusion to Investwise Irish Sailing Youth National Championships on Cork Harbour

The final day of the Investwise Irish Sailing Youth National Championships was cancelled as gale-force winds swept across Cork Harbour.

However, final results from Saturday’s long day afloat weren’t initially confirmed as two protests on Sunday morning might have affected the standings.

On Saturday evening, a protest by ILCA6 (Laser Radial) overall leader Eve McMahon saw the Howth Yacht Club sailor extend her lead over Michael Crosbie of the Royal Cork YC when he was disqualified from Race 10 due to a port and starboard incident.

However, the Crosshaven sailor returned to the protest room on Sunday morning. He had his result reinstated as McMahon had not informed the race committee of her protest on Saturday.

McMahon still emerged as ILCA6 Youth National Champion after the tie-break with Crosbie.

Meanwhile, the host club’s James Dwyer with Ben O’Shaughnessy won the 29er skiff national title by a single point. This was after a close contest with Timothy Norwood and Nathan Van Steenberge from Royal Irish YC and National YC.

The runners-up were also in the protest room on Sunday morning. They were seeking redress for equipment failure in their second race of the series on Friday but their submission was ruled out of time.

Crosshaven’s Rian Collins handsomely won the 38-boat Topper class with a 12-point lead over his clubmate Dan O’Leary. Collins will now be considering whether to move into single or double-handed classes within the Irish Sailing Academy.

The Topper fleet shared the same course as the ILCA4 (Laser 4.7) class. This was the second largest of the event with 31 boats. A newcomer to the class Sam Ledoux of the National YC emerged youth national champion.

The Malahide and Wexford Harbour pairing of Jack McDowell and Henry Thompson continued their three-day lead of the 420 class. They won over Eoghan Duffy with Conor Paul of Lough Ree YC in their battle in the nine boat class.

“We have seen incredible racing over the past three days and great sailing by all 144 young sailors,” said David O’Brien, President of Irish Sailing. “To achieve three out of four days in mid-Autumn and only lose one race from the schedule is a mark of the dedication of the 100-plus volunteers led by organiser Maurice Collins.”

“From the standard of competition that we have seen over the series, these sailors have clearly managed to keep up their training during the Covid pandemic,” said Sean Evans, Irish Sailing’s Youth Academy manager. “Our prospects for 2022 are very good thanks to this resilience and positive attitude.”

Irish Sailing’s Olympic Steering Group (OSG) will now review the results of the championships. They will also decide the line-up for Ireland’s squad at the Youth World Championships in Oman in mid-December.

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The event has run every year since 1947 until 2020’s historic pause due to the COVID pandemic. One of the most unusual regattas in the world, the competitors represent sixteen of the thirty-nine Irish Sailing affiliated classes and compete to find sailing’s “champion of champions”.

Despite coming from a wide range of one-design classes, they race against each other in a boat that is often unknown to many. This year’s chosen boat is the National 18.

Homeward bound at evening. (panoramic, click for full view) @PhotosCork @PhotographyWx @ThePhotoHour @pure_cork @Carrigdhounnews @LoveCork @corkharbour @CorkHarbourWX #crosshaven #currabinny #sailing #corkharbour #landscapephotography #seascape #cobh pic.twitter.com/HyQHx1fbVk

— John Hall (@johnhall_john) November 23, 2019

Familiar names competing include Charlie Cullen, the youngest competitor at just 19 and a first-time nomination for the Waszp class; JP Mccaldin who will race his wife Carolyn; Olympians Ger Owens with Ross Killian; Philip Doran with brother Simon; Michael O’Connor with his winning crew from previous years, Davy Taylor; Hammy Baker, RYA Northern Ireland’s Performance Director.

There’s a strong representation this year from the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire with five of their members competing.

Wild cards include Irish Sailing Academy member Tom Higgins sailing with his brother Jack, and Robert O’Leary from the 1720 class who sails with his brother Peter.

This year’s National 18 champion Ewen Barry is one to watch as he will compete in a boat more familiar to him than others.

The Irish Sailing All Ireland Championships are back!
Hosted this year by the Royal Cork Yacht Club on 2 & 3 October, sailors from sixteen different Irish Sailing classes will compete to find the "champion of champions".
Read more about the competitors at https://t.co/4b2R0DYiJ0 pic.twitter.com/o9OjlgcarB

— Irish Sailing (@Irish_Sailing) September 28, 2021

Hosted this year by the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven this weekend, each competitor has been nominated as a result of their achievements and rankings for the year.

Once chosen, each competitor selects one crew member. As the National 18 needs a third crew, the third member of the team is nominated by the class.

Racing will consist of two heats. The top three from each heat go straight into the final. The remaining competitors who placed 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th compete in a repêchage, and the top two then enter the Final with the six other teams.

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Seventeen-year-old McMahon was consistent from the early stages of the week’s racing in Italy and won three out of the five qualifying races.

A disqualification in the first race of the final series moved her back a few points, but her lead was too great and she beat Anja Von Allmen of Switzerland and Sara Savelli of Italy to take Gold.

The ILCA 6 Youth World Championships are open to sailors who were 18 or younger on the registration day, July 23, but at least 15. The Girl’s Fleet saw 109 athletes compete.

A former Irish Sailing Youth Sailor of the Year in both 2020 and 2019, today’s medal marks a three-in-a-row run for McMahon.

This summer she has taken silver in the U19 category of the EURILCA (European region of International Laser Class Association) U21 European Championships in Montenegro, and silver in the EURILCA Laser Radial Youth Championships in Croatia.

Irish Sailing coach Vasilij Zbogar said:

“It was a tough day with tough conditions. The wind went from 10 knots to 0 at some points, so it was really hard to manage. Eve did an amazing job because it was really unpredictable. She kept herself calm and didn’t panic even in a stressful situation”.

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The Irish pair came in this morning needing a miracle to progress to the medal race. After having two of their races disqualified for using a harness that was 90g too heavy, they had an overall ranking of 14th.

In 27 degree heat, 71 percent humidity and nine knots of wind, they needed to climb four more places in the rankings.

Although the odds were against them, Dickson and Waddilive were prepare to show the Olympics their true class.

Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson have won the opening race in the 49er class. #Sailing #TeamIreland pic.twitter.com/e3Boa8sAgo

— Dodge (@seidodge) July 27, 2021

After a delayed start, the Irish men went out and finished third in race 10, only beaten by the Croatian and German pairs.

They were not so lucky in the second race of the day as many of the underperforming countries brought back their form. In race 11, Dickson and Waddilove completed the circuit in 17th.

Going into the final race of their Olympics, they knew that the medal race was out of their grasp. This did not disparage the team as they pulled out their ‘A’ game.

They dominated the entire race and cross the finish line in first. This gave them an overall finishing rank of 13th.

Sadly, if they were not disqualified from race from good finishes in race six and seven, then they would have qualified for the final medal race.

#Sailing

A brilliant finish in 1st place in Race 12 isn't enough for Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove as they lie in 13th place overall. Top 10 boats qualify for the medal race. A gruelling week for them but what a performance from this young team !#TeamIreland #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/fYijWvu6Pg

— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) July 31, 2021

Although they did not qualify for the final, both young sailors are under the age of 25 and will have bright futures ahead of themselves in sailing.

With a little more experience and training, these two will be a big prospect for the Paris Olympics in three years time.

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At 04:05, the men’s pair of Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove got good results, finishing second and sixth in race five and six. At the halfway stage they are ranked at seventh in the competition and looking good to make the medal race.

During the post race checks, it was uncovered that the harnesses used by the pair were 90g, about the weight of six digestive biscuits, overweight. The official regulations state that harnesses must weigh no more than two kilograms.

Ninety grams may not seem like a lot but Olympic sailing is held to very high standard with their specification, in the interest of fairness. Extra weight would give the sailors extra leverage with their turns, giving them an advantage.

This rule break could lead to their Irish teams last two races been disqualified. They will still be able to compete but missing two races will make it virtually impossible to make the medal race.

The Irish team will attempt to appeal the decision but it is looking unlikely that it verdict will side in their favour.

#Sailing

A 6th place for Robert Dickson and Sean in Race 6 brings them up to 7th place overall in the #49erclass. More racing to come tomorrow @Annalise_Murphy has just started Race 7 in the #LaserRadials

pic by @davidbranigan #TeamIreland #Tokyo2020 @Irish_Sailing pic.twitter.com/nmvq3RlOMQ

— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) July 29, 2021

How could something like this happen?

It is said that this harness is not a new piece of equipment and that the team have used it before.

The weighing process consists of the harness being dunked in water and being left hanging on a weighing scales for a minute as the water drips off.

Team Ireland will conduct into this problem as they await the verdict of their appeal.

This looks to be a big hammer blow for the Irish pair as the Olympic sailing committee is normally very strict and concise surrounding their rules.

A decision will be made by the end of this evening with race seven and eight taking place at 04:05 tomorrow morning.

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The Dublin pair won from Britain and Germany and will lead going into race 2 in the 49er class.

Light and shifting winds delayed racing, including an abandoned race in which the pair were also at the front of the fleet.

The thrilling single race of the day saw the pair gradually improve from fourth place to first over the three laps of the course close to Enoshima Island. The actual finish was delivered with a watery flourish as the Irish crew skidded over the line barely centimetres ahead of the British boat.

“You only have to win by a few centimetres”

“It was pretty close but you only have to win by a few centimetres,” said Robert Dickson of Howth Yacht Club. “We didn’t know (crossing the line) that we’d done it until we came in and Matt (coach McGovern) told us.”

While three races had been planned for the opening day, a near calm followed by shifting wind direction meant a series of delays plus the abandonment of the first race attempt in which the Irish crew also sailed well.

“I feel thrilled, we can’t ask for a better start,” Skerries Sailing Club man Seán Waddilove.  “But you have to remember that this is the very first race and anything could change with eleven races to go, plus a medal race – hopefully.”

The event rules prevent race starts after 5pm local times so racing resumes on Wednesday as scheduled with the missed races added where the programme allows later in the week.

Meanwhile, Annalise Murphy had her best day of the regatta so far with a consistent ninth and ten places partially off-setting her disappointment of the opening two days.

The double-Olympic veteran and Rio Silver medallist moved from 32nd place to 20th overnight and the series will have a rest day on Wednesday. Four further races on Thursday and Friday will decide the top ten places for the medal race final on Sunday.

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Challenging light winds marked the start of the Tokyo Olympic Sailing regatta at Enoshima on Sunday where Annalise Murphy was the first Irish competitor into action.

In the women’s single-handed event, what was looking like a good starting position became a missed opportunity. Another competitor snagged a control line on the Irish sailor’s boat, delaying her start into ‘clear air’.

Conditions remained at close to near calm levels for the opening race. Murphy had to accept 35th place in the 44-strong fleet.

Race 2 went better for the National Yacht Club sailor who rounded the first mark in 24th place. She spent the next three legs steadily picking off other boats to place 12th. Her combined score for day one leaves her 23rd place overall.

Reaction

Murphy was frustrated with the race one incident but resolved to improve for the second race.  “I’m glad the first day is done and I’m looking forward to moving up from here – no more mistakes,” she stated.

With eight more races to decide next Sunday’s medal race finale, normal weather patterns over Sagami Bay are being influenced by the development of a neighbouring typhoon.  Depending on how the weather system develops in the coming days, windier or lighter conditions equally could result.

Ireland’s second boat features the Olympic debut for Rob Dickson and Seán Waddilove from Howth Yacht Club and Skerries Sailing Club respectively in the Men’s 49er skiff event.  Their series is scheduled to begin on Tuesday 27th July with a medal race on Monday 2nd August.

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