Conor Cronin Ninth Going Into Final Day of ILCA 6 Men’s Worlds

2nd October 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Top-ten charge: Conor Cronin in action at the ILCA 6 Men’s World Championship in Vilamoura, where the Irish sailor lies ninth overall going into Friday’s final races Credit: Prow Media

Irish sailor Conor Cronin goes into Friday’s final day of the ILCA 6 Men’s World Championship in ninth overall after ten races at Vilamoura in Portugal.

Cronin is on 114 points after five consecutive days of racing in the 60-boat international fleet, with two races scheduled for the final day.

The championship continues a particularly busy period for Irish ILCA sailing, following the ILCA 7 Men’s and ILCA 6 Women’s World Championships on Dublin Bay and Roger Craig’s ILCA 7 Master European title in La Baule.

Cronin in World Top Ten

Cronin, who was sixth overall after six races on Tuesday, is tied on 114 points with Greece’s Vassilis Koukoudis going into Friday’s concluding races.

Italy’s Lorenzo Ghirotti is sixth on 85 points, Spain’s Alberto Medel Castrillón seventh on 87 and Hong Kong’s Charalampos Veliantis eighth on 102.

Thursday provided two contrasting tests for the fleet. Racing began in light westerly winds, with an initial attempt abandoned after a significant wind shift before the course was reset and racing resumed in around eight knots.

The breeze increased considerably for the second race, reaching 15 to 16 knots.

Brazilian Pair Fight for World Title

Brazil’s Francisco Dal Ri takes a two-point advantage into the final day, leading compatriot Erik Scheidt by 18 points to 20 after ten races.

The pair have exchanged the championship lead during the week and have established a substantial advantage over the chasing fleet.

Croatia’s Toma Smirčić is third on 71 points, with Portugal’s Kuzey Karis fourth on 78 and Croatia’s Bepo Duplančić fifth on 81.

Irish ILCA Interest Continues

The Vilamoura championship follows a run of major international ILCA competition with significant Irish involvement.

Finn Lynch finished eighth at the ILCA 7 Men’s Worlds on Dublin Bay, while Eve McMahon finished seventh at the ILCA 6 Women’s Worlds on the same waters.

Craig subsequently won the ILCA 7 Master European title in France by a single point before the Irish ILCA 6 contingent moved on to Vilamoura for the Men’s World Championship.

Two races are scheduled on Friday before the 2026 ILCA 6 Men’s World Champion is decided.

Race Results

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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