Half Term action for the Irish Sailing Winter Squads 

Even as the days get colder, the weather doesn’t stop our Youth and Junior Squads getting out and active on the water.  Half term saw over 150 Optimists, fifteen ILCA 4 (formerly Laser 4.7), twenty Toppers, ten Academy sailors and 29ers, and some 420s out on the water across the country.  

The Optimist National training week held at Lough Derg Yacht club was a resounding success. Despite a breezy start, this did not stop the fun and long list of onshore training activities for all the sailors. As well as top coaching the clinic also saw education around physical training and research led workshops on talent development, which over 50 parents attended.  

Meanwhile Liam Glynn, former Irish Sailing Laser Sailor held ILCA 4 and Topper junior squads coaching in Dun Laoghaire over the half term. Liam said says

“it was back to basics for the sailors, teaching them how the sail works and how the precise adjustments of shape they make are massively important to the speed of their boats."

He also had over twenty boats from other clubs in Dun Laoghaire invited to join for racing on the Sunday of the clinic. Getting more sailors constantly active and engaged in the adrenaline fuelled fun of our sport is so important to keeping young sailors engaged. Opening the clinics like this allows local sailors to see where the level is at in the country. 

Weeks like this are a key component for inspiring and driving the next generation of sailors. Irish Sailing Development Coach Sean Evans says that; 

“It is great to see so much activity still on the water after such a busy summer season, there has been really positive turnout in all the classes, and we aim to continue this through the coming winter months.”  

Irish Sailing has had a major re-engagement with all the classes after a difficult few COVID years, numbers within the classes are developing and growing and this is something we aim to continue as we look to having a summer of success similar to 2022.