Irish Laser Sailing Youths Punch Above Their Weight in Germany

15th August 2016

Thomas Hall

Irish Laser sailors return from Kiel on Wednesday just before the Irish Laser Nationals at Galway Bay Sailing Club this Thursday. Credit: Afloat.ie

The Laser Under–21 World Championships is being held in Kiel, Germany this week. The event is a follow–on regatta to the KBC Laser Youth Worlds recently held at the Royal St. George Yacht Club, at which Irish sailors performed so well, including a Silver medal for Ewan McMahon of Howth Yacht Club.

The National Yacht Club’s Nicole Hemeryck, one of the top performers in the Worlds – seventh overall and first Irish girl – is presently lying 13th, while Lough Derg Yacht Club's Aishling Keller who represented Ireland successfully in the 2015 ISAF Worlds (10th overall) is presently 20th. Other promising upcoming Irish sailors Jenny Fekkes and Sally Bell are lying 30th and 32nd respectively in the fleet of 57 of the top sailors from 28–nations.

Some of the Irish Laser youth sailors in Kiel Germany this week. Photo: Facebook

The increased age range of the Under–21 Worlds presents a new challenge to Irish youth sailors but they are punching above their weight in Kiel.

In the standard class, former ISAF silver medalist Seafra Guilfoyle returns to form after a back injury saw him drop out of the Olympic Laser trial earlier this year.

The sailors return to Dublin on Wednesday, with an overnight stop before they commence competition in the Irish Laser Nationals at Galway Bay Sailing Club this Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Laser Radial Youth Europeans have conclude in Estonia. Details are here.

Published in Laser

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About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):