ILCA Ireland AGM To Hear From World President Mark Lyttle

12th March 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Class Leaders: ILCA International president Mark Lyttle (left) with ILCA Ireland chair Sean Craig ahead of the Irish class AGM on March 19, where Lyttle will give a global update to members.

ILCA Ireland will hold its Annual General Meeting online on March 19 with an address from the class’s international president.

Mark Lyttle, president of the International Laser Class Association (ILCA), will give a global update to Irish members following the AGM.

Lyttle will be introduced by ILCA Ireland chair Sean Craig before outlining international developments within one of the world’s largest dinghy classes.

The meeting follows a year of strong participation for the Irish ILCA fleet.

Numbers increased across all three rigs in 2025, with the ILCA 4 fleet growing from 58 ranked sailors in 2024 to 75 in 2025.

Mark The Spot: ILCA dinghies round the weather mark during Irish fleet racing as the class prepares for its AGM on March 19, where world president Mark Lyttle will give a global update to members

The ILCA 6 fleet increased from 58 to 70 ranked sailors, while the ILCA 7 fleet rose from 53 to 74.

The class also celebrated a milestone with its 50th National Championships at Ballyholme Yacht Club, where 130 boats competed across the three fleets.

Female participation also rose during the season, particularly in the ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 fleets.

ILCA Ireland has expanded its sprint racing programme, hosting nine one-day events at clubs in Cork and Dublin, including Royal Cork, Kinsale, Cove, Bantry, Glandore, Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Royal St George, Royal Irish and Iniscarra.

The short-format racing programme has proved popular with sailors balancing sailing with work and study commitments.

Irish sailors also achieved success internationally in 2025 with Howth Olympian Eve McMahon winning bronze in the world championships and Sienna Wright who took silver at the ILCA 6 Youth European Championships.

ILCA Ireland chair Sean Craig said the class continues to focus on supporting sailors at every stage.

“The ILCA is unique in that it genuinely offers a boat for life,” Craig said.

“We are proud to welcome Mark Lyttle to Ireland in our 50th year and to share the continued growth of the class.”

Registration for the AGM and Mark Lyttle’s presentation is available online via Zoom.online via Zoom.

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):

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