A strong Cork-Dublin youth sailing team will represent Ireland in four classes in Monday's Youth World Sailing Championships in Brazil, with a total of four Irish boats and six sailors competing in Armação dos Buzios.
Racing in the 52nd edition of the event sees the world’s best young sailors battling for gold, and Irish performances already this season suggest there may yet be a powerful end to 2023.
The Irish team is drawn from four clubs: Royal Cork is represented by two sailors, Royal St. George by two, National by one and Howth by one.
Buzios last hosted the Youth Worlds at the Clube Armação de Búzios in 2009, with athletes returning to the popular holiday destination to get a taste of its rich sailing history.
Female 29er class
Lucia Cullen and Alana Twomey (Royal St. George YC and Royal Cork YC
The 2022 silver medallist from France, Fleur Babin, has a new partner in the female 29er, making waves with Sarah Jannin this time out.
The competition will come from Slovenia’s Alja Petric, who has teamed up with Tarin Pecar following a bronze medal-winning performance alongside Katja Filipic in Oman.
Competing for Ireland are Lucia Cullen and Alana Twomey (Royal St. George YC and Royal Cork YC). The Cork/Dublin duo built on their success from 2022 in the 29er class, winning two more titles in 2023. As Afloat reported previously, they placed third female at the 29er Worlds in Weymouth, UK. They then went on to take the Female European title and the 29er European Championships in Sweden.
Male 29er class
29er European Champions Ben O’Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain of Royal Cork YC and the National Yacht Club Photo: Mogens Hansen
It’s a family affair in the 29er class as brothers Andrew and Tyler Lamm line up for the USA after clinching the US Youth Sailing Championships earlier this year.
They will not be the only brothers on the starting line, though, with Spain’s Simon and Mateo Codoñer Alemany also in the mix after winning silver in the 2021 event in Oman.
However, all eyes will be on France’s Hugo Revil and Karl Devaux, who grabbed Youth Worlds gold in 2021 and added the EuroCup series title to their belts earlier this year.
29er European Champions Ben O’Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain of Royal Cork YC and the National Yacht Club have had an incredibly impressive progression in this fleet, winning title after title. Although they had a setback at the 29er World Championships in Weymouth, they still placed second at the British Nationals the week before it and are also the Irish Youth and National Champions.
Male ILCA 6
Fiachra McDonnell of the Royal St. George YC (right) Photo: Annraoi Blaney
In the male ILCA 6, Luka Zabukovec of Slovenia is back on the water as the only previous medal winner in the event and from Ireland, Fiachra McDonnell of the Royal St. George YC is in action after progressing into the ILCA 7 class, being introduced to some of Olympian Finn Lynch's training camps this season.
Most recently, McDonnell competed at the U21 ILCA World Championships in Morocco.
Female ILCA 6
Sienna Wright (Howth Yacht Club)
A relatively new field in the girls ILCA 6, will see a brand-new podium of medallists. St Vincent’s Scarlett Hadley will make history as she competes in the boat, the first-ever sailor from her nation to compete in the event after a successful Pan American Games. From Ireland, Sienna Wright (Howth Yacht Club) took home two Silver medals in the U17 category this season, first at the ILCA 6 Youth Worlds in Dziwnow, Poland and second at the ILCA 6 Europeans in Gydnia, Poland.
There is no Irish representation in the 420, iQFOiL or Formula Kite classes. Racing in all classes begins on Monday, December 11th.
