Valuable Lessons for Irish Crews at Kieler Woche
Ireland's Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove finished 14th overall at Kieler Woche as the fourth regatta of the 2026 Sailing Grand Slam series concluded in Germany today. Racing was heavily impacted by weather, resulting in a significantly reduced programme that left the Irish pairing just outside the Final Series qualification places. Switzerland secured victory in the 49er fleet, while Canada topped the 49erFX standings.
Dickson-Waddilove’s regatta was heavily impacted by light and unstable winds resulting in a reduced programme of races. This left little room for recovery from mistakes. The North Dublin pair showed flashes of the form that earned them a silver medal at the French Sailing Grand Slam earlier this year, opening with a first and a second place on Monday.
49er Coach Benjamin Bildstein remained positive despite the limited racing opportunities: "We put together a solid qualification series for Gold Fleet, but unfortunately the lack of wind meant there were very few races sailed," he said. "With only three races completed there wasn't much opportunity to recover from mistakes, but we saw a lot of positives in our sailing. Kiel is an important event, but our focus is firmly on the European Championships and we believe we're on the right track. We'll take plenty of lessons from this week and use them to keep improving."
For Erin McIlwaine (Newcastle Yacht Club) and Ellen Barbour (County Antrim Boat Club), Kiel proved a testing regatta as light and highly variable winds disrupted racing throughout the week. The opening days were particularly difficult, with unpredictable conditions making consistency hard to achieve, although the breeze became more stable as the event progressed.
Despite the difficult circumstances, 49erFX Coach Matt McGovern was encouraged by aspects of the crew's performance: "Erin was recovering from illness, so she didn't need a particularly physical week, and fortunately Kiel wasn't too demanding in that respect," he said. "Overall, their boat speed was good, probably the best we've seen from them in light winds. However, the starts still need some work."
As the regatta developed, the racecourse increasingly favoured the left-hand side, placing a premium on strong starts and early positioning. McIlwaine and Barbour found themselves on the wrong side of several key shifts and suffered a number of costly incidents, eventually finishing 39th overall.
"The focus now will be on starts before we head to the European Championships," added McGovern. "If we can tidy them up, it will make a big difference."
Development sailors Ben O'Shaughnessy (Royal Cork Yacht Club) and Ethan Spain (National Yacht Club) also found the conditions tricky. Similar issues off the start line hampered their progress, although the pair showed flashes of their potential, recording a second-place finish during the qualifying series. They advanced to Silver Fleet for the final stages of the regatta and finished 43rd overall.
Also racing under the Irish flag were Elysia O'Leary (Royal St George Yacht Club) and Alana Twomey (Royal Cork Yacht Club) in the 49erFX fleet. A difficult week that included equipment issues and an OCS (On Course Side) disqualification at the start line hampered their campaign, with the pair finishing 47th overall.
All three Irish crews will now turn their attention to the European Championships in Eckernförde, Germany from the 5th to 12th of July, where they will look to build on the lessons learned from a challenging week at Kieler Woche.