The ILCA6 Women’s World Championships will kick off next week in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, as 110 athletes from 44 countries prepare for six days of high-stakes racing on Dublin Bay. Australia is sending a formidable eight-strong contingent ready to challenge the world’s best in what promises to be an intense and tactically demanding regatta.
For Paris 2024 Olympian Zoe Thomson, the venue carries a deep personal connection. It was on these same Dublin Bay waters that the Perth sailor claimed her first major international title, winning the ILCA6 Youth World Championships back in 2016. Now, nearly a decade on, Thomson returns as one of Australia’s leading contenders at the senior level.
“From the training we’ve done here and hearing from the boys, we can expect tricky conditions and a regatta where every point counts. I’m really looking forward to the challenge, and I like this venue a lot,” Thomson said.
The 28-year-old has already sampled some of the conditions likely to shape the championship and believes the keys to success lie in nailing the basics and maintaining composure under pressure.
“I think keys to success will be about executing the simple things like starting cleanly and staying in phase, then it will be super important to be aware of how you respond when something doesn’t go your way. There’s been so many lessons this year and I’m looking forward to this last hit out,” Thomson added.
Australian Sailing Team Technical Director Michael Blackburn will be on site throughout the event, supporting both the National and Futures Squads alongside National Coach Mikael Lundh and Performance Pathways Coach Annie Eastgate. Blackburn, who has coached three different athletes to Olympic gold in the ILCA7, brings invaluable experience to the campaign.
“The Worlds are going to demand a good amount of patience and adaptability in the typical shifty offshore breezes of Dublin Bay,” Blackburn explained. “The squad have been training well in the lead-up and seem relaxed yet focused to perform.”
The regatta follows last week’s ILCA7 World Championships, which proved an extremely challenging test with conditions making consistency difficult to find. Blackburn expects this championship to bring its own physical demands.
“It’s looking like it’s going to be a bit windier than it was for the Men’s Worlds, so we’re expecting a good physical workout as well, and our squad are definitely up for that challenge,” he shared.
The competition format features a Preliminary Series followed by an Elimination Series before culminating in the Final Series. The top 10 sailors will battle it out in two single-point final races to determine the 2026 ILCA6 Women’s World Champion.
Racing will take place from 7 to 12 September, with the championship hosted out of the Royal St. George Yacht Club and National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay.
Australian entries at the ILCA6 Women’s World Championship include Australian Sailing Team members Elyse Ainsworth, Mara Stransky, and Zoe Thomson, Australian Sailing Futures athletes Casey Imeneo, Evie Saunders, and Lili McAullay, along with Sylvie Stannage and Frances Beebe representing Australia.
