Ireland's next generation of Olympic hopefuls – boys and girls – will be in action on Dublin Bay on Monday when 350 of the world's top youth helms compete for the 2016 KBC Laser Radial World Championships. 31 Irish Radial single-handers are part of the massive dinghy armada. All this week, in the build up to Monday's first two races, competitors from 48 nations have been training on Dublin Bay in the wide variety of wind conditions offered at the Irish venue so far.

Strong Irish performances abroad this season are giving extra hope that the Royal St. George Yacht Club hosted event could bring further Irish Under–18 success next week.

In the boys division, Ballyholme Yacht Club's Liam Glynn, Howth's Ewan McMahon, Irish youth champion Conor O'Beirne of the host port plus Johnny Durcan of Royal Cork Yacht Club are top ranked sailors that form part of the biggest team competing at the event.

Connacht Laser championship Winner Ewan McMahon is in top form. Photo: Afloat.ie

In the girl's division, with 63 entries from 22 countries, another Howth youngster Aoife Hopkins, a former Olympic trialist for Rio, will be a leading Irish hope in a team of six that also includes Irish youth champion Nicole Hemeryck of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

In a new template for sailing events on the capital's waters, the biggest sailing event in the country this year, will be jointly hosted by Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company and the Royal St. George Yacht Club. 48 nations will compete so any Irish challenge for the world titles faces stiff competition.

Six of the top ten boys from the 2015 championships in Canada are signed up for the Dublin Bay regatta. This no longer includes talented Australian youth champion Conor Nicholas, who did not travel to Dublin to defend his world title because he is 'aged out'. 

Australian Laser Radial team member Finnian Alexander. Photo: Facebook

Instead, a top ten finisher from 2015, Finnian Alexander is just one of nine much fancied Australians competing here.

The 17–year–old from Double Bay Sailing Club has been sailing the Radial for three years and has represented Australia at two World Championship Regattas, and has qualified for the Australian Youth Sailing Team.

'All of the Aussies are super keen to get into some racing and are all enjoying the beautify scenery of Dub Laoghaire and Dublin Bay!', he told Afloat.ie

Italy are also on form with fourth and fifth placed Paolo Giargia and Umbreto Varbero returning to the fray as part of an 11–boat Italian squad.

Howth's McMahon, finished top Irish sailor at the 2015 Championships when he placed 18th overall. Northern Ireland's Glynn, a former Topper class world champion, finished 21st.

Expect action–packed Laser mark roundings next week. Photo: Afloat.ie

As well as these strong gold fleet performances, the young Irish sailors are also credited with some other strong international results over the past 12 months, heightening the prospect of a top Irish placing on home waters next week.

McMahon only narrowly missed out on the boy's European (under 17) Laser Radial title in Portugal last year and in April this year, Royal Cork Yacht Club's Johnny Durcan took a top ten at the massive Laser Eurocup event in Hyeres, France.

Royal Cork's Johnny Durcan was a winner last weekend on Dublin Bay. Photo: Afloat.ie

Aoife Hopkins scored an impressive Europacup victory in Hoorn, Holland. Hopkins was overall winner of the women's fleet at the weekend and best under–19. It wasn't the only Dutch performance from the Irish youths either. Liam Glynn was third in the under–19 boys fleet.

Looking back at the archives, Ireland has previous success at World Radial youth level. Seven years ago, Wexford's Philip Doran took the Under – 17 world championship title in Japan. A year earlier he won the Under 16–title. In that same year, 2009, and at the same venue, Annalise Murphy, then aged 19, won the Under 21–world title. These results have subsequently been followed by three youth world sailing medals in the past four years, putting Irish youth sailing achievements at an all time high.

On the Irish circuit, after a blown out Munster Laser championships in West Cork earlier in March, the combined 30–boats that make up the Irish Radial team were racing again at a breezy edition of the Ulster championships in County Antrim in late April. In a nip and tuck battle, Ulster man Glynn finished ahead of McMahon for the Radial provincial title. Royal Cork's Johnny Durcan was third.

At the Connaught Championships at Lough Derg Yacht Club, in Co. Tipperary on July 2 McMahon took the tile but last weekend at the Leinster Championships at the National Yacht Club, just days before the World Championships at the same port, it was Crosshaven's Durcan that produced the goods. 

For more information on the KBC World Laser Radial Championships click here.

 Laser dinghies launching for last week's Leinster championships at the National Yacht Club. Photo: Afloat.ie

To get the massive fleet launched quickly organisers will be sending half off from St Michaels Wharf on an especially constructed pontoon