Ireland will stage the GP14 World Championships for the second time in four years following a decision by the International Committee to relocate the 2026 World Championship from Sri Lanka.
Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, Belfast, has agreed to host the championships following a review by the GP14 International Committee in early February.
Skerries Sailing Club last hosted the GP14 championship in Ireland 2022 after a number of cancellations caused by COVID.
A decision was made to look to relocate the 2026 World Championship to an alternative venue. "It was with much regret that the Committee had to consider this course of action," Irish President Andy Johnston told Afloat.
The Sri Lanka Championship Committee were notified, and the GP14 International President, Charles Saunders, issued an update very recently to the GP14 membership outlining the concerns and challenges that led to this decision.
These were primarily:
- Container shipping costs estimates suggest that the per boat cost could be in the region of €1,200-1,500 which is 3 to 4 times more expensive than shipping boats to Barbados for 2016 Worlds
- There still remains serious uncertainty on the future price of shipping with Red Sea being drawn into Middle East conflict, notwithstanding impacts on delivery times and schedules
- Long haul air fares have also risen considerably and unlikely to drop much in the near to medium future
The outcome of all these factors was that the Committee believed there are very few sailors in Ireland or the UK who could commit to an event in Sri Lanka in two years time and that we would struggle to get more than a couple of containers and the event would not attract sufficient numbers to make a proper World Championships. Having considered the forgoing issues very carefully, it was with much regret that the General Committee decided that it would be sensible as a class to look for an alternative venue for 2026 World Championships.
That process has been underway for several weeks, with the Championship Committee looking beyond the traditional venues, including possible European venues. This is a challenge as many suitable locations will already have locked down their events calendar for 2026.
However, the GP14 International Committee is delighted to announce today that the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, Belfast, has agreed to host the 2026 GP14 World Championships. The Club was already earmarked to host the 2026 UK Nationals, so it was ideally placed to step into the breach. More details and revised dates will follow.
