Irish Sailing has announced a new partnership with Mercedes-Benz Ireland to support the organisation’s high-performance sailing programme. The agreement will provide the Irish Sailing Performance Team with a fleet of five Mercedes-Benz vans to support the transport of athletes and equipment across Europe.
As regular Afloat readers will recall, Mercedes has a long connection with Irish Olympic sailing, previously supplying transport for Annalise Murphy's Tokyo 2020 Campaign and support for Radial trialist Aoife Hopikns too.
The fleet includes three Mercedes Sprinter 315.36 Crew Cab vans, one Mercedes Sprinter 315.36 Tourer and one Mercedes Vito 114L Panel Van. Irish Sailing said the vehicles will assist athletes travelling to training camps and international regattas during the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.
Fergus Conheady, Commercial Vehicles Sales Manager at Mercedes-Benz, said the company was proud to support Irish Sailing. “We are proud to work with the Irish Sailing Association, supporting an organisation that reflects the same values of performance, reliability, and precision that define our van range,” he said.
“Through this partnership, we are delivering practical, premium transport solutions that meet the demands of their operations both on and off the water.”
Irish Sailing squads unveil new support vehicle for European campaign travel
The three-year support programme has been backed by the Irish Sailing Foundation, the fundraising body supporting Irish Sailing’s Performance Pathway programmes.
Executive Director Catherine Tempany said the investment would strengthen athlete preparation and performance. “We have a world-class team, and being able to provide world-class equipment is a significant step forward for our sailors,” she said.
“Our donors are seeing the impact of their support, and investment in people, equipment and facilities continues to drive the strong results we are seeing on the international stage.”
Irish Sailing has opened the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle with five senior medals in 2025, including a bronze at the World Championships. The team has continued that form into 2026 with gold at the opening Sailing Grand Slam event and two silver medals at French Olympic Week in Hyères.
Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove, alongside FX sailors Erin McIlwaine and Erin Barbour, are due to travel next week to the 49er World Championships in Quiberon, northern France, supported by the new partnership.
