A record ILCA/Laser fleet is expected in Dun Laoghaire on July 23-24 for the Leinster Championships 2022, hosted at the Royal St. George Yacht Club and proudly supported by MGM Boats.
Organisers of the ILCA Ireland Leinster Championships are expecting a record attendance at next weekend’s event. With over a week to go, already over 30 visiting boats have registered and more are expected in advance of the early bird entry closing on Sunday evening.
Competition across all fleets is expected to be intense, with most focus on the Radial (ILCA 6) fleet where Howth Olympic campaigner Aoife Hopkins will be the one to watch across the two-day event.
Meanwhile, in the Master’s category, local champion Sean Craig will be eager to maintain his winning ways and demonstrate to some of the younger sailors that age is no barrier to success in a Laser.
The 2021 National Champion in the Radial fleet, Royal Cork’s Jonathan O’Shaughnessy has recently transitioned to the Standard (ILCA 7) rig and is eager to make his mark here. Young Daniel O’Connor from the host club has shown some consistency already this year in the 4.7 (ILCA 4) fleet, but he can expect some stiff competition from visitors from across the country.
While many will be focused on the competition at the top of each fleet, this year’s event recognises the stiff competition that takes place right through the racecourse. The organisers have indicated that honours will be awarded across 8 categories broken down by fleet (ILCA 4, ILCA 6 & ILCA 7), gender (Female, Male) and age (U30, Master).
This year’s sponsor MGM Boats is supporting the extension of prizes from the traditional fleet-only approach.
Speaking at the announcement of the event Ross O’Leary, Sales Director at MGM Boats said, “We’re delighted to be able to support the Royal St. George Yacht Club in broadening out the competition and recognising abilities right across the national fleet.”
ILCA Ireland has recently announced that sailors between the ages of 18 and 30 can participate in all regional and national events at no cost for the 2022 season. The Leinster Championships team is expecting a larger volume of young adult sailors to Dun Laoghaire for this event. In recognition of this a full food and entertainment package is being laid on by the host club to ensure there are lasting memories of the event both off and on the water.
Further details of the event are available on the ilcaireland.com website with early bird entry closing on Sunday, July 17.