Irish Sailing has named representatives across three youth classes: Sienna Wright and Marcus Shelley in the ILCA 6 events; Juliet Ryan and Ella Rock in the female 29er; and Daniel Copithorne and Matt Mapplebeck in the male/mixed 420 fleet.
Wright (Howth Yacht Club) will head to Portugal after a strong 2026 season that included silver at the ILCA 6 Youth World Championships in August. She also finished runner-up at the Irish ILCA Nationals and reached third place in the Silver Fleet at the senior ILCA 6 World Championships in Dún Laoghaire after narrowly missing qualification for Gold Fleet.
Shelley (Royal St George Yacht Club), a member of the Irish Sailing ILCA 6 Development Squad, secured second place at the Irish Sailing Foundation Youth Nationals and third at the Irish ILCA Nationals. He also represented Ireland at the ILCA 6 Youth World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, before finishing fifth at this month’s Irish Sailing Junior Champions’ Cup in Schull.
ILCA Ambition — Royal St George Yacht Club’s Marcus Shelley has been selected for Ireland’s ILCA 6 team following a strong year of youth championship results
Ryan and Rock (Royal St George Yacht Club) were the leading female crew at the Irish Sailing Foundation Youth Nationals, taking third overall in the 29er fleet. The pair went on to win the Irish 29er Nationals in June, claiming the overall, female and under-17 titles, and also competed at the Junior Champions’ Cup.
29er Duo — Juliet Ryan and Ella Rock will take the female 29er place at the Youth Sailing World Championships after winning the Irish 29er Nationals earlier this year
Copithorne (Schull Harbour Sailing Club) and Mapplebeck (Royal Cork Yacht Club) secured the 420 title at the Irish Sailing Foundation Youth Nationals and retained the Irish Sailing Junior Champions’ Cup in Schull this month. The pair, who won both the Irish 420 Nationals and Junior Champions’ Cup in 2025, finished third overall at this year’s Irish International 420 Class Championship. Both sailors were also selected for Ireland’s Youth Match Racing World Championship team in Denmark.
420 Pairing — Daniel Copithorne and Matt Mapplebeck will represent Ireland in the male/mixed 420 fleet at the 2026 Youth Sailing World Championships after a successful season
The coaching team accompanying the sailors will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Irish Sailing Performance Director James O’Callaghan said the team selection reflected a strong season for Ireland’s youth sailors.
“The Youth Sailing World Championships are the leading event for young sailors, and it is great to see Ireland represented by a team that has performed so well at home and internationally this year,” he said.
“These sailors have made strong progress over the past two seasons. Vilamoura is another opportunity for them to compete against the best youth sailors in the world.”
The Youth Sailing World Championships will feature 11 medal events across male, female and mixed categories, with sailors from around the world competing at the Portuguese venue. World Sailing is organising the event in partnership with Vilamoura Sailing, the Portuguese Sailing Federation, and the Municipality of Loulé.
