Dun Laoghaire has never seen anything quite like this. The 2026 ILCA 7 Men's World Championship gets underway in Dublin Bay, the first time the venue has hosted an Olympic-class World Championship of any kind.
The fleet is stacked. Some 141 sailors from 45 countries have entered, headlined by reigning Olympic and Oceanian champion Matt Wearn of Australia, reigning World champion Willem Wiersema of the Netherlands, reigning European champion Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus, reigning South American champion Francisco Guaragna of Argentina, and reigning North American champion Daniel Escudero of the United States.
Every ILCA region is represented, with Olympic medallists and World champions scattered throughout the fleet, not just at the top of it.
Wiersema, defending his world title, has already had a taste of what Dublin Bay might throw at the fleet. "We're in Dun Laoghaire, it's in Dublin Bay, so it's quite a big bay," he said. "We've trained there for a week with some offshore winds. It was pretty shifty, with a lot of pressure differences, so it's made for tricky racing for sure. You've got to keep your eyes out and be at your best. It's fierce competition. You need to nail everything to make a result stick. It's both a physical and a tactical game, with a lot of boats and tight gaps."
Germany's Philipp Buhl has had a harder road to Dublin Bay than most.
"It's the pinnacle event of the year, the Worlds as usual, and we've had a tough season," he said. "I had a bit of a compromised season, struggling financially a little, and I've been in the game for many, many years. Still, I'm really motivated and keen to challenge the benchmark sailors in the class. I think it's pretty obvious that Matt Wearn is number one, and maybe Micky Beckett and Elliot Hanson are number two and three at the moment, with Pavlos right in the mix. I'm doing an okay job and trying to chase them a little."
He's also quick to point out what makes the ILCA 7 class such a demanding test.
"The thing is, in this class, being a one-design class with this amazing setup we have again this year at the World Championships, where every competitor gets a brand-new, identical boat, it's so simple and so amazing. Everybody is on exactly the same equipment, which means even Matt Wearn, having won every event he's competed in this year, still needs to show up and deliver in every single race, over the whole six days."
No excuses, no equipment gaps. Just sailors against each other, and against Dublin Bay's shifting breeze.
The National Yacht Club and Royal St George Yacht Club worked closely together to prepare the event and welcome the sailors.
Racing runs from Tuesday 25 to Sunday 30 August.
