Dún Laoghaire played host to four days of electrifying match racing as the Match Race World Tour brought top international talent to Irish waters. The event featured 12 teams from 7 different nations, and racing was overseen by 10 elite umpires, including some of the circuit’s most respected officials, highlighting the calibre and professionalism of the competition.
Competitors were treated to the best of what Dublin Bay has to offer, two days of bright blue skies and plenty of breeze, some classis irish downpour and big breeze and a final challenging, light-wind day that tested skill, patience, and teamwork.
Irish sailors put in strong performances on home waters. Tom Higgins finished 4th in the round-robin stage, advancing straight to the quarter-finals and avoiding the repechage for the remaing four spots. He went on to finish 5th overall, a strong result in a highly competitive international fleet. Fellow Irish competitor Ruairi Finnegan also showed promise but narrowly missed out on the finals finishing 11th.
The final saw two French teams go head to head, with Ian Garreta's team delivering an exceptional light-wind display to edge out Auriellen Pierroz in a 2-1 first to two final. New Zealand’s Tom Picot rounded out the podium in third place.
Special thanks are extended to the National Yacht Club for their warm welcome to competitors and to Sport Ireland, whose support made this event possible. But a significant shout out must go to the Irish Match Racing Association's committee who at the beginning of this year set their sights on bringing a world class tour event to Dublin and as a team made this happen quite sucessfully. Bringing over some of the best umpires on the circuit to ensure top tier competition, securing hosts for each team and organising a full event that ran seemlessly.
Dún Laoghaire once again proved itself as a top-tier venue for international sailing, and the event showcased not just global talent, but the strength of Ireland’s own rising stars in the match racing scene.