Roger Craig Wins ILCA 7 Master European Title in France

25th September 2026

Afloat.ie Team

European Champion: Ireland's Roger Craig celebrates winning the ILCA 7 Master title at the 2026 ILCA Master European Championships in La Baule Credit: EurILCA

Roger Craig Wins ILCA 7 Master European Title in La Baule

Royal St George Yacht Club sailor Roger Craig has won the ILCA 7 Master European Championship title in La Baule, France, adding another major international Masters success to Ireland’s ILCA record.

Craig sealed the title after nine races in the ILCA 7 Master category, finishing on 39 points to edge Greece’s Aristotelis Chatzistamatiou by a single point, with Spain’s Leandro Rosado third on 56.

The victory follows a strong campaign from Craig, who competed in last month’s ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship on Dublin Bay before heading to France for the Masters fleet.

It is another major achievement for Irish ILCA Masters sailing, following Mark Lyttle’s double world championship victories, with the National Yacht Club sailor having won two ILCA Masters World titles in recent years.

Final Day Decides Champions

The final two races of the championship decided the winners across all fleets and age categories, with racing held in steady 8–11 knot winds over flat water.

The ILCA 7 fleets completed nine races during the week, while the ILCA 6 fleets finished with eight races.

Craig had been among the leading contenders throughout the championship, moving into second place earlier in the week before taking control of the Master category on the final day.

Irish Results in La Baule

Ireland was represented across several ILCA Masters categories.

Hugh Delap also delivered a strong performance in the ILCA 7 Apprentice Master fleet, while Marshall King, Darren Griffin, Niall Peelo and John Curran competed in the ILCA 6 divisions.

The championships attracted almost 290 sailors from across the world, underlining the continuing strength of the ILCA Masters circuit.

ILCA 7 medallists

Apprentice Master:

Lorenzo Cerretelli ITA 27 pt
Michalis Koulianos GRE 33 pt
Andrew Green GBR 68 pt

Master:

Roger Craig IRL 39 pt
Aristotelis Chatzistamatiou GRE 40 pt
Leandro Rosado ESP 56 pt

Grand Master:

Christoph Marsano AUT 42 pt
Orlando Gledhill GBR 50 pt
Roger Schulz GER 62 pt

Great Grand Master:

José Luis Doreste Blanco ESP 13 pt
Javier Muñoz ESP 63 pt
Nick Harrison GBR 64 pt

Legend:

Don Hahl USA 196 pt
John Dawson-Edwards CAN 197 pt
Greg Jackson USA 212 pt

Race Results

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

Published in Laser, RStGYC

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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