Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Italian Youth Sailors Top Boys & Girls Divisions of Laser 4.7 World Youth Championships in First Day of Gold Fleet Racing

12th August 2021
229 sailors are competing from 31 different countries for the overall prize at the Laser 4.7 World Youth Championships at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay
229 sailors are competing from 31 different countries for the overall prize at the Laser 4.7 World Youth Championships at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay

ILCA 4/Laser 4.7 World Youth competitors launched at Dun Laoghaire with 18-20 knot southwesterly winds, but the 30-knot gusts that blew through the Dublin Bay racecourses were the true test for the 229 boats taking part in the first day of the final series of racing.

With the qualifying series complete at the National Yacht Club and Royal St. George Yacht Club hosted event the sailors were divided into Gold and Silver fleets in both the boy's and girl's divisions.

229 sailors are competing from 31 different countries for the overall prize.

Another change at the top of the leader board in the Girl's fleet tonight was well earned after Emma Mattivi (ITA) scored an impressive 2, 1 today to move one point clear of Petra Marednic (CRO). Gaia Bolzonella (ITA) moved from 4th overnight top 3rd overall with a strong and consistent 1, 3 and as we look to tomorrow, its all to play for.

Tralee Bay's Eimer McMorrow Moriarty is top Irish Girl in (38th). Anna O'Connor (40th) is hot on her heels in the Girl's gold fleet.

In the boy's division Martins Atilla (LAT) moved from second to first with a solid performance to record a 1, 5. Alexandros Eleftheriadis (GRE) slipped back to second overall with a 7, 14 showing just how difficult it was to find the podium today. Massimiliano Antoniazzi (ITA) climbed several places with a 2, 4.

Rocco Wright representing Howth Yacht Club holds onto the position of top-performing Irish boy in 53rd. Archie Daly (58th) and James Dwyer (65th) make up the top three Irish boys.

Strong and gusty conditions are forecast for the penultimate day's racing tomorrow before the final day on Saturday.

The organisers say the Championships is one of the largest international sporting events taking place in Ireland this year. 

Boys results are here for and girls here

Racing continues from 10:30 am 

Published in Laser
Afloat.ie Team

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven’t put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full–time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

Direct Donation to Afloat button

About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):

  • ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2
  • ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2
  • ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2