Shifting winds, general recalls, black flag penalties and one abandoned race led to a drama–filled opening day at the 48–nation KBC Laser Radial Youth and Men’s World Championship on Dublin Bay, this afternoon.

Ireland, Croatia, USA and the Cayman Islands were four countries that made the most of the day's sub ten–knot breezes, each winning a race in their respective divisions of the 229–boat boys fleet.

But for all the on–the–water success of the day, there were also plenty of sailors seeking improvements tomorrow.

Sailors tackled offshore winds gusting up to 12–knots but sometimes the fickle summer breeze was as low as three knots.

Winds from anywhere between 225 and 300 degrees were strong enough to keep the dinghies moving through the small chop and tide but there was little opportunity for hiking. Upwind, the fastest sailors sought the strongest lines of pressure coming off the shore. Downwind, the on–the water umpires were active, with 28 rule 42 penalties for rocking and pumping infringements.

Back ashore, at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire harbour, the youth sailors gave their first impressions of the Dublin race track.

'The winds are too shifty and the water is too cold! I'm going to have to learn how to sail all over again in this place', joked Israeli green fleet sailor Yam Lauber who counted a 21.

Course area B, under Rio appointed Olympic Race officer Con Murphy, completed its full programme but London 2012 Race Officer Jack Roy on course A was forced to abandon all three fleets half way through the second race when there was a major wind shift.

'This bay's a good place to sail but the shifts are random. I'd a good first race but let's not talk about the second', said Great Britain's Arthur Brown from Royal Burnham YC on the river Crouch.

But Spain's Rafael de la Hoz Tuells, who scored two second places in the boys blue fleet, appears – by today's result at least – to have mastered Dublin's notoriously difficult westerlies.
'I sailed today by concentrating on the clouds and following the wind', said the number two Spanish sailor from Murcia.

Check out some video footage of one of today's races.. @LaserWorlds2016 pic.twitter.com/GbXqZhfqlz

— Royal St. George YC (@RSGYC) July 25, 2016

In home nation news, Connacht champion Ewan McMahon from Howth Yacht Club was a race winner in the blue division and after the first qualifying race in the girl's fleet, his club–mate Aoife Hopkins was 13th from 76.

The first race of the girls fleet was won by Norway's Caroline Rosmo. There was no second race result available at the time of publication.

In the mens division, Ireland's Ronan Wallace had a race win, the other race of the day in the 42–boat fleet was won by Martin Manzoli Lowy of Brazil.

Racing continues with two more qualifying races tomorrow. Similar westerly winds are forecast.

Results HERE are provisional and subject to protest.

The volunteer team at the Royal St. George Yacht Club has released a pre-event video for next week's 2016 Laser Radial Worlds at Dun Laoghaire. See the video below. An intense two weeks of Laser action kicked off on Dublin Bay last Saturday when the National Yacht Club staged the Laser Leinster Championships. The 52–boat radial division, was won by Royal Cork Yacht Club's Johnny Durcan, a boost for the Munster youth who will head up a large Irish contingent on July 23rd.

Royal Cork Yacht Club youth sailor Johnny Durcan will lead Irish hopes going into the KBC sponsored Laser Radial Boys World Championships on Dublin Bay in a weeks time having won the Leinster Laser title at the National Yacht Club today by an eight–point margin. Durcan, who did not finish the first race on Saturday morning, was never out of the top three in the rest of the six–race series.

It was a close run thing at the top of the 52–boat Radial fleet with 2013 Topper World Champion Liam Glynn from Ballyholme second, finishing on the the same 18 points as Howth Yacht Club's Ewan McMahon, the winner of May's Belgian round of the Laser Europa Cup. Top girl was Nicole Hemeryck of the host club in seventh place.

In the 26–boat standard rig, another Cork sailor also took the honours as 2016 Olympic trialist Fionn Lyden from Baltimore Sailing Club lead home Jonatan Vadnai of Ballyholme Yacht Club. Ryan Glynn was third.

4.7 division honours went to Kinsale Yacht Club's Michael Carroll. Second in the 24–boat feet was Ros Morgan of Rush Sailing Club with Howth Yacht Club's Daniel Hopkins third. Download the results below.

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.

Ireland's next generation of Olympic sailors – male and female – will be in action on Dublin Bay in three months time when 400 of the world's top youth helms compete for the 2016 KBC Laser Radial World Championships.

Strong Irish performances abroad are giving rise to local hopes that the landmark dinghy event could bring further Irish Under 18 success this summer.

In the boys division, Ballyholme Yacht Club's Liam Glynn, Howth YC'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 a 30–strong Irish contingent.

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.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, 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. Over 30 nations will compete and 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 includes talented Australian youth champion Conor Nicholas, who travels to Dublin to defend his world title. Nicholas, a double national champion from Perth, leads a ten–strong Australian team that also includes top ten finisher from 2015, Finnian Alexander. A past 4.7 rig world champion, Nicholas has ambitions to represent Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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.

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 from July 23–30.

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.

Last weekend, 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.

The next events on the Irish circuit are the Connaught Championships at Lough Derg Yacht Club, in Co. Tipperary on July 2. The Leinster Championships at the National Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire is a fortnight later on July 16, just a week ahead of the World Championships at the same port.

The KBC Laser Radial Worlds (Youth and Men’s 2016 World Championships) was launched at a special event in Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company’s historic Harbour Lodge today. This is the first time Ireland will host this sailing World Championship which, according to Eithne Scott-Lennon, Chairperson, Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company “will showcase Dún Laoghaire Harbour on the international sailing stage”. Up to 400 competitors from more than 35 nations will compete in this World Championship Series which will generate €2.5m for the local economy.

KBC Bank Ireland is the title sponsor of this prestigious sailing event which takes place in Dún Laoghaire harbour from 23rd to 30th July and will be hosted by The Royal St. George Yacht Club and Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. The event is supported by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and Fáilte Ireland.

Eithne Scott-Lennon, Chairperson, Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company said, “This summer Dún Laoghaire Harbour will be the first Irish host of the eagerly awaited KBC Laser Radial Youth & Men’s World Championships. The Harbour Company along with the Dún Laoghaire Yacht Clubs formed a small group in 2013 to promote the harbour as a location for International Sailing Events. We are delighted that the 2016 ‘KBC Laser Radial Worlds’ is a direct result of that initiative.”

Patt Watt, Director of Retail Distribution, KBC Bank Ireland said, “As Ireland’s newest retail bank we are delighted to sponsor this world-class sailing event. Our sponsorship acknowledges our commitment to supporting community and youth initiatives and recognises the hard work and dedication that is involved by everyone concerned in hosting this event. We wish everyone every success and look forward to being part of a great sporting occasion next July.”

David Kelly, Chairman of the KBC Laser Radial Worlds said, “This is a significant achievement and an exciting milestone in the sailing history of Dún Laoghaire. Apart from the financial benefits locally, it is a unique opportunity to showcase our beautiful harbour and everything Dún Laoghaire has to offer. We are looking forward to some top-class sailing and to welcoming all our competitors from all over the world.”

1,000 supporters and volunteers will be involved in helping to host the KBC Laser Radial Worlds. Over the past number of years Dún Laoghaire has played host to some of the most prestigious European & World Sailing Championships including the Youth Sailing World Championships in 2012.

Britain's Alison Young has written her name into the sailing history books, becoming the first British woman to win a World Championship title in a solo Olympic dinghy class. Annalise Murphy finished third in the silver fleet and Aoife Hopkins four places behind her. The end of the championship also marks the conclusion of the Irish Olympic trial that has been won by Annalise who now takes Ireland's sole Rio berth in the Radial class. 

While Murphy finished ahead of Hopkins in each of the three regattas in the trials, Mexico saw the margin tighten to just four places in that event.

However, the overall selection trials score was comfortably in Murphy’s favour.

“Congratulations to Annalise for winning the trials that confirm her as the best Laser Radial sailor in Ireland,” said James O’Callaghan, ISA Performance Director. “Aoife also sailed a great contest and she is clearly a prospect for 2020.”

London Olympian Young, whose previous World Championship best was fourth in 2012, claimed an emphatic last race victory over USA's Paige Railey to seal Laser Radial World Championship glory in Vallarta, Mexico, on Wednesday and provide a huge boost to her Rio preparations with 107 days to go until the 2016 Opening Ceremony.

After a hard-fought regatta where the overall lead changed daily, it all came down to just a single point in the end. The 28-year-old Young held her nerve to take her third race win of the week in the 13th and final race of the regatta, relegating erstwhile leader Railey into the silver medal position by the narrowest of margins.

Shirley Robertson claimed 2000 Olympic gold in the Europe class, which was then the women's one-person Olympic dinghy, but a World Championship title in that event eluded her. The Laser Radial has since replaced the Europe on the Games programme, and Young becomes the first female British sailor to win a World Championship in an Olympic single-handed dinghy event. Penny Way won windsurfing World Championship gold in 1990.

Final top ten:

1. Alison Young, GBR, 42 points
2. Paige Railey, USA, 43
3. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 50
4. Marit Bouwmeester, NED, 54
5. Gintare Volungeviciute Scheidt, LTU, 68
6. Erika Reineke, USA, 84
7. Lijia Xu , CHN, 90
8. Nazli Cagla Donertas, TUR, 98
9. Manami Doi, JPN, 101
10. Brenda Bowskill , CAN, 109

Full results: www.laserworlds2016.org

Britain's Alison Young leads the Women's Laser Radial Worlds on its penultimate day on Banderas Bay in Mexico. Ireland's Annalise Murphy from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire leads the silver fleet after a race win yesterday afternoon. Howth Yacht Club's Aoife Hopkins is ninth in the silver fleet.

It took five attempts, but Race eight, the first race of the Finals Series, started just before 1430h under clear skies on Banderas Bay. The first attempt led to a general recall, but the three subsequent attempts faltered when Race Committee postponed during the starting sequence as the wind shifted left, then right, finally settling in from the southwest.

After a clean start for the Gold fleet, the Silver fleet had clean start on the inner loop of the trapezoid course. The wind direction remained mostly steady, and built as the afternoon progressed. Both fleets started cleanly in Race 9 and the sailors were headed to the harbor before 1700h.

The course layout didn’t change during the afternoon’s racing, but oscillations around the average led to gains and losses for the sailors. Several of the top ten competitors ended up using Race 9 as their single discard. When Race 10 is completed, a second discard becomes available.

At the end of the day, Alison Young (GBR) leads the pack, followed by Marit Bouwmeester (NED), Paige Railey (USA), Gintare Scheidt (LTU), and Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN). Only ten points separate the top five competitors, and the places will likely shuffle after tomorrow’s races, especially when the second discard becomes available. As of now, Boumeester stands to gain to the most from the second discard.

A great day of racing, and hopefully more to come in the remaining two days of the Championship.

Results are here

Nine countries in the top ten overall at the Laser Radial Women's World Championships in Mexico yesterday indicates the events close proximity to August's Rio Olympics. Ireland is not yet represented in this ultra competitive line up but at least two top ten results yesterday for Dublin's Annalise Murphy put the National Yacht Club sailor up into 30th overall.

2014 World Champion and 2012 Olympic Silver medalist, Marit Bouwmeester is leading the 2016 Laser Radial Worlds being sailed in Mexico, with two US sailors in hot pursuit. Bouwmeester has won four of her six races in the qualifying rounds so far in the 71–boat fleet.

A 25 in race four for Annalise followed by five and eight scored in races five and six saw the 2013 European champion move up 17 places from 47th after a discard in the pointscore.

Howth Yacht Club's Aoife Hopkins, the 17–year–old who is competing at her first senior world championships is now 47th after scoring 26, 22 and 28 yesterday.

Qualifying rounds for Monday's all–important gold fleet continue today.  Results here.

Racing in winds up to 15–knots, the opening race of the 2016 Laser Radial Worlds in Mexico produced some untypical results yesterday with top seed Marit Boumeester of Holland in an untypical 17th position in the 71–boat fleet. Both of Ireland's campaigners finished just outside of the top half of the fleet with Aoife Hopkins of Howth Yacht Club one place ahead of Annalise Murphy of the National Yacht Club in 33rd and 34th respectively. Download full results below as a PDF file.

In yesterday's second qualifier, both Irish competitors recovered form with Annalise taking a seventh and Aoife 16th to put Annalise 43rd and Aoife 52nd overall. Qualifying continues today with two more rounds. The race to make the gold fleet cut at the end of the 32-nation qualifying series by Monday is well and truly on.

The event doubles as the final of three Irish Olympic trials to decide who Ireland will send to the Rio Olympics, a series that London 2012 veteran Annalise currently leads.

Wind conditions at Vallarta Yacht Club on Banderas Bay on Mexico's Pacific coast are expected to continue in the 15–knot range.

Event website is here