McDonnell Wins ILCA 7 at Royal Irish MGM Boats Sprint Series

10th August 2025

Afloat.ie Team

A start in breezy conditions for the Royal Irish MGM Boats ILCA Sprint Series on Dublin Bay Credit: Afloat

Brisbane 2032 Olympic aspirant Fiachra McDonnell of the host club won the ILCA 7 fleet at the Royal Irish Yacht Club MGM Boats ILCA Sprint Series 2025 on Saturday, August 9th.

Race Officer Brian Mathews ran six races for the 45-boat fleet.

McDonnell posted four second-place finishes and a race win to secure a nett score of nine points from six races in some breezy westerlies up to 18 knots on Dublin Bay.

Tom Coulter, representing East Antrim Boat Club and Portrush Yacht Club, finished second with 12 points. He claimed two race wins and a second-place finish.

Ole Schweckendiek of Kieler Yacht Club took third on 15 points, with two race wins and a third-place finish among his top results.

The regatta featured 23 entries ILCA 7 competing over six races, with one discard applied.

O’Doherty Leads Clean Sweep at ILCA 6 Sprint Series

Leo O’Doherty of Sligo Yacht Club won the ILCA 6 fleet at the RIYC MGM Boats ILCA Sprint Series 2025.

O’Doherty secured first place in five of six races, discarding a third-place finish to end with a nett score of five points.

Caoilinn Geraghty-McDonnell of the Royal St. George Yacht Club finished second with 13 points, including two runner-up finishes and a second in the final race.

Darren Griffin, also of the Royal St. George Yacht Club, placed third. The master sailor posted consistent results, including two second-place finishes, to finish on 15 points.

The regatta, hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club, saw 15 ILCA 6 entries compete over six races, with one discard applied.

Results below

Race Results

You may need to scroll vertically and horizontally within the box to view the full results

Published in Laser, Royal Irish Yacht Club, MGM Boats

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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):

ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2
ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2
ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2

ILCA 2026 Calendar

Apr 04–05 — Munster Championships — Baltimore SC
Apr 09–12 — Irish Sailing Youth Nationals — Ballyholme YC
May 09–10 — Ulster Championships — East Antrim BC
May 23–24 — Masters National Championships — Howth YC
Jun 27–28 — Leinster Championships — Skerries SC
Jul 24–26 — National Championships — Royal St. George YC
Sep 11–12 — End of Season Championships — Waterford Hrbr. YC

2026 ILCA World Championships

Men ILCA 7: Aug 23 – Aug 30
Women ILCA 6: Sep 04 – Sep 12
Royal St. George Yacht Club & National Yacht Club (Dublin Bay)

At A Glance – Laser Dinghy Specifications

Designer Bruce Kirby & Ian Bruce

Year 1969

Crew 1
Draft 0.787 m (2 ft 7.0 in)
Hull weight 58.97 kg (130.0 lb)
LOA 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
LWL 3.81 m (12 ft 6 in)
Beam 1.39 m (4 ft 7 in)
Mainsail area 7.06 m2 (76.0 sq ft)

Racing D-PN 91.1 RYA PN 1088 PHRF 217