“Making the leap to travel to international events with much bigger fleets and a higher standard allows sailors to hone their sailing and racing skills at another level,” says Bill Thullier of the 420 National Association in an analysis, along with Tom Mappleback, of the performance of seven young Irish sailors in the British 420 National 420s last week.
“After a very successful 420 Irish National Championship held in Lough Derg, seven Irish crews packed up their boats to travel to the 420 British Nationals hosted by Brixham Yacht Club in Devon,” he told me. “Irish sailors from Cork, Galway, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford, representing 8 different clubs, made the journey to the event as part of the Irish team.
Irish Challenge: Irish sails mix with the British fleet in Brixham, where seven Irish crews gained valuable experience racing in a larger and highly competitive championship fleet. Photo: Abbie Self
In the UK, the 420 sailor profile includes a substantial number of adult sailors, and many continue sailing the 420 throughout their college years and beyond. To incentivise younger sailors, the British 420 Association splits the fleet into two categories - U17 and Open (over 17) and recognises different crew combinations: male, female, and mixed-gender boats.
“Matthew Thuillier and Mena Sweetman (Kinsale Yacht Club and Wexford Harbour Sailing Club), the only Irish U17 boat, had a strong first day in an overall fleet of 51 boats, and the end of racing saw them leading the U17 Mixed category in the event. Current Irish National Champions Caoimhe Corkery and crew, Riona McMorrow-Moriarty (Kinsale Yacht Club and Tralee Bay Sailing Club), were lying 21st overall after three tough races in windy conditions."
"2025 National Champions Daniel Copithorne and Matt Mapplebeck (Schull Sailing Club and RCYC) set the pace for the Irish boats with an 8th and a 12th on the first day. Sailors had a welcome rest day on Saturday due to high winds before returning to the water on Sunday and Monday, when the remaining 7 races were completed in challenging conditions. Niamh Lynch and James Harvey (Waterford Harbour Sailing Club and Spiddal Sailing Club) showed real consistency among strong competition, and Niamh and Rian Baynes (Galway Bay Sailing Club) continued to improve throughout the series with a best race performance of 17th. Brother and sister partnership Charlie and Sarah Donald (Spiddal Sailing Club) and Harry Coole and Billy Mallin (RCYC) completed the Irish representation with strong performances across the series.”
Fleet Fight: Irish and British 420 crews battle for position in the 51-boat fleet during four days of challenging championship racing off Brixham. Photo: Abbie Self
Consistent results saw Matthew Thuillier and Mena Sweetman come first in the U17 Mixed category and 8th overall in the U17 competition. Caoimhe Corkery and Riona McMorrow-Moriarty finished strongly with a 15th and 14th on the last day, earning them 3rd overall in the Open Female category, and Daniel Copithorne and Matt Mapplebeck impressed with an 11th overall and best international boat trophy. Niamh Lynch and James Harvey showed real consistency among strong competition, and Niamh and Rian Baynes continued to improve throughout the series, with a best race performance of 17th.
“Over the seven days of the event, the British 420 National Championships provided Irish sailors with the opportunity to participate in two days of expert training by World Championship-winning coaches, a day of practice races followed by four days of racing at the highest level. Off the water, the sailors enjoyed an extensive social programme.
The championship black-tie dinner is the social highlight of the event,” according to Bill Thullier.
The Irish 420 team dressed for the championship's black-tie dinner, a highlight of the extensive shoreside social programme in Brixham. Photo: Abbie Self
Two more events remain in the 2026 Irish Association Calendar with the 420 Leinster Championship in Blessington in September and a 420 Training weekend in Lough Derg in October.
