Ireland continued their impressive run of form at the 57th French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyères on Thursday (23 April) with Olympians Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove delivering another strong performance as the regatta moves into its final stages.
Day Four of the Sailing Grand Slam brought more Champagne sailing conditions to the Côte d’Azur, with more stable winds replacing earlier volatility, although large rolling seas continued to test sailors’ control and decision-making throughout the day.
The men’s 49er fleet was first on the water with Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) racing in the yellow leaders’ jerseys. The pair produced another consistent series, posting results of fifth, second and seventh to sit tied at the top of the standings alongside France.
In the women’s ILCA 6 fleet, Eve McMahon (Howth YC) had a mixed but ultimately positive day in otherwise ideal conditions. A costly opening race saw her finish 29th, a result she discards. She responded well with a third-place finish in race two but in the final race a couple of big wind shifts caught her late resulting in a 15th-place finish.
McMahon remains firmly in contention, sitting third overall heading into Friday’s (24 April) final two races of the Elimination Series ahead of Saturday’s Final Series showdown.
Development sailors Ben O’Shaughnessy (Royal Cork Yacht Club) and Ethan Spain (National Yacht Club) are gaining valuable experience in a high-calibre 49er Gold Fleet, currently sitting 20th overall. The U23 European Champions are making the most of the opportunity to compete at this level, building momentum ahead of a potential entry at next month’s 49er World Championships.
Fellow development sailor Fiachra McDonnell (Royal Irish Yacht Club) is also testing himself at the highest level as Ireland’s sole representative in the ILCA 7 Gold Fleet, competing against a world-class field that includes world number one Michael Beckett (GBR) and Paris 2024 Olympic champion Matt Wearn (AUS).
In the women’s 49erFX fleet, Erin McIlwaine (Royal St George/Newcastle YC) and Ellen Barbour (County Antrim Yacht Club) capitalised on the slightly less windy conditions to deliver one of their strongest days of the regatta. The pair showed good pace upwind, regularly rounding the top mark in strong positions but lost a little water downwind. Their best results of sixth and seventh highlight their progress in this high-quality fleet but a torn spinnaker impacted their second race, giving them a mid-fleet finish and they now sit 13th overall.
In the men’s ILCA 7 Silver Fleet, Finn Lynch (National YC) and Ewan McMahon (Howth YC) are delivering consistent top 10, results leaving them first and second respectively in this fleet.
Racing continues on Friday with the final day of Gold Fleet racing in the Elimination Series. The top 10 boats from Gold Fleet will then advance to Saturday’s Final Series, where points will be equalised.
