As Irish youth sailors continue to perform on the international competition circuit, the Royal St. George Yacht Club has announced the host nation will boast the largest fleet at July's KBC–sponsored Laser Radial World Championships on Dublin Bay. Top Irish youth radial sailor Ewan McMahon emerged as the winner of May's Belgium round of the Laser Europa Cup. The Howth YC sailor, who is one of Ireland's leading hopes for the KBC championships topped a 50–boat fleet in Nieuwpoort. Country man Johnny Durcan of Royal Cork Yacht Club was third overall. Full results from the May 14–16 event are downloadable below. It's only the latest youth success with Durcan in the top ten in a massive fleet in April and Aoife Hopkins on the podium in Holland early last month.
Yet another Europa Cup podium result bodes well for Irish chances in Dun Laoghaire in eight week's trime (preview here) as the latest entries reveal 45 countries and 335 sailors are now confirmed for the Royal St. George event with still two weeks to close of entry. It will be Ireland's biggest sailing event in 2016 that is hosted jointly by the east coast port and the yacht club.
'There are 480 places available in the youths and mens radial world championships and with two months to the first race on Dublin Bay, we've 70% of the entries already in', event chairman David Kelly told Afloat.ie
The top ten squads are from Ireland, then the UK, Italy, France, Netherlands, Australia, United States, Spain, Croatia and Switzerland.
