Irish Skiff Sailing Pathway Grows with Strong 29er and 49er Season

24th January 2026

Thomas Chaix

Irish skiff sailors compete in 29er, 49er and FX fleets as numbers grow and the 2026 home circuit takes shape Credit: Thomas Chaix

Whilst Ireland's 49er development squad sailors were working hard climbing podiums around Europe at U23 worlds (bronze), U23 Europeans (gold) and the Garda FX series (Silver and Bronze), the class here is Ireland was working hard on supporting the progress of its 29er sailors into the FX growing a group of skilled sailors looking forward to the growth of a home based circuit of events under a similar model to what is happening in the UK.

The 29ers' numbers are slowly recovering with the arrival of keen new entries to the fleet, whilst the FX numbers are growing with the older 29er sailors making the jump.

29ers

2025 was dominated by NYC young 29er sailors with Theo Madigan and Daniel McDaid securing the national rankings, William Walsh and Eoin Byrne taking the national title and about half the fleet training and progressing from the NYC slip... However, 2026 will paint a new picture with the growth of new keen fleets in Ballyholme and the Royal St George YC, providing a nationwide healthier picture of the class.

49ers

The 49ers at home are racing alongside the 29ers, and the nationals 2025 were a comprehensive success with Squad aces competing against "amateurs" and showing the next steps of the skiff pathway to the younger sailors. The 2025 U23 European champions Ben O'Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain (NYC) took the title, whilst the FX partnership Erin McIlwain and Helen Barbour (RstGYC) took the FX title. But the real win was the growth of the amateur fleet, with boats starting to sail in Howth, Lough Ree, Lough Derg, Tralee, the Malahide estuary, and Galway.

2026

The schedule for 2026 is set for an exciting season at home, whilst our top teams will also try to fly the colours high at major events. 49er events are open to new and former rig configurations, and the FX is also open to mixed and male partnerships. Pre-Athens rigs, if any, will be raced under an adjusted PY to account for the major upgrade of the full-carbon mast delivered to the class.

Due to the new rules surrounding the 29er worlds, with only 3 places offered to Ireland in 2026, we have had to implement a selection system starting with an application process, which will remain open until March 31st. Applicants will then undertake trials, which include the Youth nationals and the Easterns.

Home events 2026

9-12 April, Youth nationals, Ballyholme - open to 29er (must be U21)
25-26 April, Easterns, National YC - Open to 29er, FX and 49er
19-21 June, Nationals, Royal St George YC - Open to 29er, FX and 49er
25-26 July, Double Ree/westerns, Lough Ree YC - Open to 29er, FX and 49er
12-13 September, Northerns, TBA - Open to 29ers only

The class is still looking for a Southerns and we are also hoping for the return of the Ballyholme weekend of speed

If you want to join the fast fun of skiff sailing, don't hesitate to get in touch: [email protected] or [email protected]

We can help with boat sourcing, training opportunities, technical support....

Published in 29er

Tagged under

29ers
49er

About The Author

Thomas Chaix

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Thomas Chaix is Head Coach at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. He currently sails the 49er dinghy (for fun) but raced the Laser for 25 years and has been a member of French and Irish teams

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About the 29er Skiff Dinghy

The 29er is a one-design double-handed, single trapeze skiff for youth sailors.

There is an active class in Ireland, just one of the 38-countries from across all continents now racing the high-performance skiff.

The 29er is one of the latest dinghy classes to arrive in Ireland and has a 50/50 split between boys and girls.

The class like to describe the boat as "The most popular skiff for sailors who want to go fast!".

Derived from the Olympic class 49er class and designed by Julian Bethwaite the 29er was first produced in 1998.

Two sailors sail the 29er, one on trapeze.

The class is targeted at youth sailors aiming at sailing the larger 49er which is an Olympic class.

The 6.25-metre high rig features a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker; a self-tacking jib decreases the workload of the crew, making manoeuvres more efficient and freeing the crew to take the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The 15.00 m2 spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and manoeuvres in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The 74kg weight hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is in three parts - an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease both overall weights, and the capsizing moment a heavy mast tip can generate. Foils are aluminium or fibreglass.