Dickson and Waddilove Set for Kiel Sailing Grand Slam
The fourth regatta of the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam series gets underway this weekend at Kieler Woche in Germany with Irish sailors taking on some of the world's best at one of the most fiercely contested events on the international sailing calendar.
Ireland will be represented across the skiff classes by Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove in the 49er / Men’s Skiff, Irish Sailing Development sailors Ben O’Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain, and 49erFX / Women’s Skiff crews Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour alongside fellow Irish pairing Elysia O’Leary and Alana Twomey.
For Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club), Kiel offers an opportunity to build on the form that delivered a silver medal at the French Sailing Grand Slam in Hyères earlier this season. The pair arrive in Germany after narrowly missing qualification for the Final Series at the recent 49er World Championships in Quiberon where the mixed conditions made for a demanding regatta and a 14th-place finish overall.
The challenge in Kiel will be no easier. The 88-boat fleet includes Olympic, World Championship and European Championship medallists, with Austria's World silver medallists Keanu Prettner and Jakob Flachberger and French stars Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin among the leading contenders.
Meanwhile, Erin McIlwaine (Newcastle Yacht Club) and Ellen Barbour (County Antrim Boat Club) continue their impressive transition into the senior ranks after promotion from the Irish Sailing Development Programme late last year. The pair announced themselves as genuine contenders at the Hyères Sailing Grand Slam where they finished seventh overall and produced a series of standout performances in the Final Series, including a third-place finish.
Development sailors Ben O’Shaughnessy (Royal Cork Yacht Club) and Ethan Spain (National Yacht Club) also return to Grand Slam competition buoyed by their performance in Hyères, where they qualified for Gold Fleet racing and recorded a race win against an experienced international field.
Irish Sailing Performance Director James O'Callaghan believes Kiel represents an important marker in the season for the 49er’s, "Kieler Woche consistently attracts world-class fleets. For Rob and Sean, it's an opportunity to get straight back into Grand Slam racing after the Worlds and continue building towards the major targets later in the season. Erin and Ellen have shown tremendous progress this year and are gaining confidence every time they line up while Ben and Ethan continue to demonstrate that they belong at this level."
Racing begins on Saturday 20 June with the six Olympic classes taking to the water. The regatta will conclude on Wednesday 24 June with two Final Series races, where a revised competition format promises an exciting conclusion to the regatta.
You can follow the racing live here: KielerWoche.TV - Sailing - Kiel Week