LA Rising for Irish Sailing
The Irish Sailing Performance Team is currently in Los Angeles for the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta, part of the newly established Sailing Grand Slam series. Taking place from 12–20 July, the regatta is hosted at the site of the 2028 Olympic Games sailing competition, offering a valuable opportunity for early venue reconnaissance.
Three senior ILCA sailors, Finn Lynch (National YC), Ewan McMahon (Howth YC), and Eve McMahon (Howth YC), are representing Ireland at the event. While competition is underway, the trip’s primary focus is to familiarise the team with the Olympic sailing environment, both on and off the water, and to begin gathering data on racing and training conditions specific to Long Beach.
The sailors arrive in strong form, each with notable results this season, including Eve McMahon’s World Championship Bronze and Finn Lynch’s two podium finishes at earlier Grand Slam events.
Performance Director James O’Callaghan, who is with the team in LA, commented, “It’s great to be here for the regatta, but our main goal is to learn about the venue and surrounding areas. We’ve been fortunate to receive fantastic support from the Irish community here. That ‘home from home’ ethos is truly coming to life, the team has been warmly welcomed, and it’s been a great chance to build connections with the Irish diaspora.”
During the trip, Finn Lynch, Ewan McMahon, and coach Ben Walkemeyer also took part in a Q&A session with Scouts of America at a local sailing camp, a small but meaningful example of Irish Sailing’s ongoing commitment to community and grassroots engagement wherever we go.
O’Callaghan also travelled to San Francisco to meet with the Vice President of The Ireland Funds, a philanthropic network supporting Irish causes globally. The visit forms part of Irish Sailing’s broader ambition to strengthen international connections in the lead-up to LA 2028.
“This regatta isn’t a peak event for us,” O’Callaghan added. “The team is training through it with their eyes firmly on the ILCA European Championships in Sweden next month, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see some strong performances along the way.”
The ILCA European Championships will take place in Marstrand, Sweden from 11–18 August.
This visit to California marks the start of a busy summer for Irish Sailing in the region. Later this month, a number of sailors from the Irish Sailing Pathway Squads will return to Long Beach for the Youth Sailing World Championships, held in nearby San Pedro.
Racing in the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta begins tomorrow, 11am local time (7pm Irish time).