Dun Laoghaire, Ireland | 26 August 2025
The ILCA Under 21 World Championships reached its halfway stage on Day 3, as 212 sailors from 38 nations faced new challenges due to a switch in wind direction to offshore. Despite the change, the full race schedule was completed.
After a memorable Day 2 with big seas and surfing conditions, Day 3 maintained a fresh breeze but introduced incessant wind shifts from the land, resulting in multiple race restarts. Competitors spent at least five to six hours on the water, with the ILCA 7 Men’s fleet returning close to 6 p.m. after launching mid-morning.
Despite the challenging conditions, the ILCA Men completed their six-race qualification round to determine the Gold fleet line-up, which features a closely contested leaderboard. Edward Reid (AUS), who secured two second places, holds the overall lead in the ILCA 7 class going into the final round. Reid noted the mental challenge of the day, stating, “I’m glad to have two keepers and a hard day. Today was probably harder in some ways – mentally with a lot of starts and having to be focused for a long time.”
Australians occupy the top positions with Reid leading and Isaac Schotte (AUS) in third. Reid expressed his anticipation for future races, saying, “It’ll be fun racing everyone. I haven’t raced Issac yet, my good friend and fellow Australian. We live together so I’m sure it’ll be good.”
The top six boats begin the final round with just over 20 points separating them, indicating a potential reshaping of the leaderboard in response to another tricky day of forecast breeze. Ole Schweckendiek (GER) summarised the conditions, saying, “I think good conditions… pretty tricky, gusty but overall with two bullets I’m quite happy for the day. Now, a good rest and again a lot of wind tomorrow. I’m a bit tired but I’ll be ready for tomorrow – I have to be!”
Men’s Under-21 – Provisional Top 5:
- Edward Reid AUS – 7 pt
- Ole Schweckendiek GER – 10 pt
- Isaac Schotte AUS – 11 pt
- Athanasios Kyfidis GRE – 21 pt
- Mark Hestbaek DEN – 26 pt
Men’s Under-19 – Provisional Top 5:
- Omer Vered Vilenchik ISR – 32 pt
- Adamantios Petrianos GRE – 46 pt
- Bartol Jocic CRO – 53 pt
- Daniel Gimenez Mesquida ESP – 74 pt
- Narimitsu Toyozumi JPN – 74 pt
In the ILCA 6 Women’s event, six races have been completed, with an emerging leader. Roos Wind (NED) has established a comfortable 19-point lead with three race wins and her worst score being a fourth. Emma Mattivi (ITA) follows as the first runner-up, holding a 12-point advantage over her competitors.
Roos Wind commented on her performance, saying, “For me it was a good day (but) there were big shifts and huge pressure differences; it was a day to have your eyes out of the boat but I think I did it quite well. It’s going great so far but it’s not over and we have three days left with many races to come. I’m just going to take it day by day, race by race.”
Wind, who previously competed in Dún Laoghaire, reflected on the event’s tough conditions, saying, “The big waves and surfing were just epic!”
Other competitors noted the need to switch modes based on changing conditions, with Lilly Rainham (CAN) highlighting the difference in approach from previous days, saying, “Today was about keeping up that physicality but also thinking outside of the boat.” The stark contrast in conditions was evident as the breeze reached 25 knots at times, making for tricky racing.
Women’s Under-21 – Provisional Top 5:
- Roos Wind NED – 9 pt
- Emma Mattivi ITA – 28 pt
- Ginevra Caracciolo Di Brienza ITA – 40 pt
- Isabella Mendoza Cabezas USA – 41 pt
- Evie Saunders AUS – 51 pt
Racing will continue on Dublin Bay on Wednesday, with a midday start planned.
Results and Photos – click here.
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