Dickson and Waddilove Set for Season Finale on LA 2028 Waters
Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove will bring their 2026 racing season to a close on the waters that will host the sailing competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The Irish 49er crew will compete in the final Sailing Grand Slam of the season taking place in San Pedro from 3–8 August. The regatta forms the second half of the San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta where teammate Eve McMahon secured an ILCA 6 bronze medal last week.
Although the 31-boat Men’s Skiff fleet is smaller than those Dickson and Waddilove have faced at recent international championships, it includes several of the world’s leading crews. Current World Champions Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush of New Zealand are among the entries, alongside the Austrian and Dutch teams that claimed silver and bronze respectively at the World Championships in Quiberon earlier this year.
It has been a season of mixed fortunes for Dickson and Waddilove. After missing out on Gold Fleet at their opening event in Palma they responded by winning silver at the French Sailing Grand Slam in Hyères. They followed that result with a 14th-place finish at an eventful World Championship in Quiberon.
Their most recent appearance came at the European Championships in Eckernförde, Germany in early July. The pair demonstrated their potential in the stronger conditions, leading the fleet at stages of the regatta before finishing ninth in the Open standings and sixth among the European crews.
Speaking during the European Championships, helm Robert Dickson acknowledged that the pair are generally at their strongest in the heavier breeze. San Pedro could provide similar conditions providing an opportunity to continue developing their downwind performance. This will be an important focus as they build towards the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
This regatta is an important one for the pair as it offers the opportunity to compete on Olympic waters. This is a real chance to become familiar with the venue, learn as much as they can and get a good feel for the conditions.
Racing for the 49er fleet at the San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta begins on Monday 3 August, with the finals taking place on Saturday 8 August.
Event details, entry lists, results and schedules are available at register.sanpedroocr.org. Updates from the Irish team will also be available on Instagram at @irishsailing.