Ireland Opens European Campaign in Croatia
Racing finally got underway at the ILCA European Championships in Kaštela, Croatia, today (Monday, 18 May) after yesterday’s schedule was abandoned due to unsuitable wind conditions. Sailors were greeted with much-improved conditions for the opening three races, with a stable breeze of 10–16 knots.
In the Women’s Dinghy (ILCA 6) fleet, three races were completed in quick succession in favourable conditions. Ireland’s sole representative in this class, Eve McMahon (Howth Yacht Club), made a solid start to the championship with results including a fourth and eighth place, leaving her seventh overall in the 120-strong fleet.
Speaking after racing, ILCA 6 Coach Vasilij Žbogar said: “Eve maybe sailed a little too defensively today, but with only one discard available across the regatta, consistency is very important. It’s a very strong fleet and there are a lot of good sailors here, but Eve is one of them. We’ll look to improve our average tomorrow. We’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but it’s a long championship and the priority now is to stay smart and consistent through qualifying before pushing harder in the finals.”
McMahon arrives in Croatia following an impressive run of early-season form and will be aiming to replicate this as the championship continues over the coming days.
It was a mixed opening for the Irish Men’s Dinghy / ILCA 7 sailors. Ewan McMahon (Howth Yacht Club) made a strong start to his regatta, posting a fourth-place finish in the opening race. He followed that with a mid-fleet result before finishing the day with another top-five result, leaving him 12th overall and the leading Irish sailor in this fleet of 173 boats.
Olympian Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) endured a more difficult opening to the championship, struggling a little in the early stages of racing. However, he recovered well as the day progressed delivering a sixth-place finish in race two before ending on a high with a fourth place in the final race to sit 18th overall overnight.
Ben Walkemeyer, Irish Sailing's ILCA 7 coach commented on their performance, “The key gains on the racecourse were coming from strong starts close to the line combined with good boat speed, so that was an important focus throughout the day for us. Finn and Ewan each put together two solid races alongside one more disappointing result but hopefully we’ll get another three races tomorrow before moving into Gold Fleet racing after.”
Development Squad sailor Fiachra McDonnell (Royal Irish Yacht Club) made an encouraging start to his first Senior European Championship, recording an eighth-place finish in the opening race. A challenging second race and a DNC in the final race of the day saw him fall back in the standings, but the event represents an important opportunity for the young sailor to gain valuable experience at this level.
Racing continues tomorrow with two races scheduled. The competition format includes one more day of Qualifying Series racing followed by three days of Final Series racing. The format of this regatta means there will be no medal race with European titles decided through a final series over two days.