Royal Irish Yacht Club sailors Colin Galavan and Ger Dempsey sit 18th overall at the SB20 World Championships in Hyères, France, after a demanding penultimate day of racing in gusting Mistral winds over 30 knots. The Dublin Bay pair remain inside their pre-event target of a top-20 finish, with two races expected on Friday, 23rd October, before the fleet is lifted out.

Crews and equipment were tested on Thursday as a strengthening breeze pushed the fleet, with several boats abandoning the final race as conditions grew rougher.

Mistral Mayhem – Spinnakers billow and crews battle rough seas as winds gust to 30 knots during the penultimate day of the SB20 World Championships in Hyères. Photo: João Saraiva Mendes

RIYC Pair Battle Through Heavy Weather

Galavan and Dempsey started the day promisingly in relatively light north-easterly winds, holding a top-ten position before abandoning the opening attempt as they approached the final windward mark.

A fresh breeze then filled in from the west, allowing the race committee to run three more races. RIYC sailors reported sustained winds of 25–30 knots, with gusts exceeding 30 knots, making for challenging, exhilarating racing.

The final race was particularly demanding, with plenty of action across the fleet as crews struggled to maintain control in the strong conditions. Despite the testing weather, Galavan and Dempsey remain in contention to improve their overall position and their standing among the Masters competitors.

Irish Challenge – The Royal Irish Yacht Club's SB20 (IRL 3739), centre, races alongside the international fleet at the World Championships in Hyères, where Colin Galavan and Ger Dempsey lie 18th overall heading into the final day. Photo: João Saraiva Mendes

Three fellow Masters teams are immediately ahead of the Irish pair, including two former SB20 World Champions.

"We are tired but not broken—yet—and looking forward to the last day of what has been an amazing adventure," said Galavan.

UAE Youth Crew Retains World Championship Lead

At the head of the international fleet, the UAE's Kidzink Youth team retained its overall lead after six completed races, ahead of France's Socare Marbrerie and Lynx in second and third, respectively, according to the provisional results before jury decisions.

As Afloat reported following the opening three races, the young UAE sailors had already established themselves at the front of the championship.

Thursday's first completed race, Race 4 of the series, started at approximately 10 am in a building Mistral of 15–22 knots. France's Lynx Corinthian won after choosing the right-hand side of the first beat. Kidzink Youth finished second, with Australia's Ares Youth/Women taking third.

Conditions intensified for Race 5, with gusts reaching 30 knots and particularly challenging conditions around the windward mark.

By Race 6, several boats abandoned racing as conditions grew rough, although the Mistral later eased to a steady 22 knots, with gusts still exceeding 25 knots.

Downwind Drama – The SB20 fleet races under colourful spinnakers in challenging Mistral conditions off Hyères, with the UAE's Kidzink Youth retaining the overall championship lead. Photo: João Saraiva Mendes

Equipment failures also featured during the championship, including a broken mast reported aboard the French team associated with Julien Bunel, which nevertheless remained second overall.

France and UAE Contest Nations Cup

The championship's international team competition remains closely contested, with France narrowly ahead of the UAE in the race for the Katie Jackson Nations Cup. France's three leading boats rank second, third, and fifth overall, while the UAE's top representatives rank first, sixth, and eighth.

This year, the Nations Cup has been renamed in honour of Katie Jackson, who served as Executive Secretary of the SB20 World Council during the class's first ten years and played an important role in its development.

With two races expected on the final day, both the individual World Championship and the Nations Cup remain to be decided.

For Galavan and Dempsey, the immediate challenge is to defend their top-20 position and make further gains against some of the class's most experienced Masters sailors. The championship concludes on Friday, 23 October.