The 2026 Irish Optimist National Championships took place from 13th to 16th August at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven, Co. Cork, bringing together young Optimist sailors from clubs across Ireland for a full week of competitive racing.

With racing across the Senior, Junior, Regatta Racing and Regatta Coached fleets, the championships provided a great test of skill, consistency and resilience, as well as a fantastic opportunity for sailors of all levels to gain valuable national-level experience.

For the Kinsale Yacht Club squad, it was a particularly memorable Nationals, with some excellent individual performances, podium finishes and a national team-racing title to celebrate.

Senior Fleet

KYC had six sailors competing in the Senior fleet.

Jamie Blennerhassett finished 11th overall in Gold Fleet, producing a solid and consistent championship. Jamie showed plenty of determination throughout the week with a 6th Place finish in race 9 and continues to build on his experience at major events.

Joe Kingston finished 17th in Gold, with a particularly strong 7th-place race among his results. Joe’s consistency and ability to produce strong individual race finishes were real positives from the championship.

Síofra Buckley finished 19th overall with several excellent races including a 9th and 10th. Síofra showed great resilience throughout the week, particularly given the demanding conditions and the level of competition in the Senior fleet.

The week started strong for Síofra and Jamie when they teamed up to win the Irish Optimist Team Racing Championships. A brilliant achievement for both sailors and a fantastic result for KYC.

Also in the Senior fleet, Annabelle Goggin had a very positive Nationals in the Bronze fleet. Annabelle finished on the podium in Bronze, taking 2nd place, with an excellent 8th-place finish in Race 4. A fantastic result and a great reward for her continued improvement.

Tom Kingston also battled hard throughout the championship. Moving between some challenging races and some much stronger performances, Tom showed good fight and perseverance throughout the week. His 13th-place finish in Race 6 was a particularly good result and demonstrates the progress he is making.

It was also wonderful to see Ellen Kingston back on the water after injury. Getting back to racing following time away is an achievement in itself. It was fantastic to see Ellen competing again at Nationals.

Junior Fleet

Ally O’Riordan represented KYC with pride and performed admirably in a very strong fleet.

Ally continues to improve since the British Nationals and gained valuable championship experience throughout the week. There were some encouraging individual races and plenty for her to take forward as she continues her development.

Regatta Racing Fleet

KYC had three sailors competing in Regatta Racing.

Olaf Sorensen had an excellent championship, finishing 7th overall, with a number of very strong races. His 2nd-place finish in Race 9 was a particular highlight, alongside several other top-10 results.

Harry Hunt finished 18th, with some really encouraging individual performances, including a 5th in Race 4 and a 10th in Race 3. It was a valuable week of racing and experience for Harry.

Arthur Hunt finished 27th, producing some very good individual results, including 9th in Race 9 and 11th in Race 2. Plenty to build on from a competitive Nationals.

Regatta Coached Fleet

KYC was also represented by Penny Sorensen and George O’Riordan in the Regatta Coached fleet.

Penny finished 3rd overall, an outstanding result, and produced some fantastic racing throughout the championship. Her 1st-place finish in Race 8, together with a 2nd and several other top-five finishes, was a particular highlight.

George O’Riordan also had a very encouraging championship, finishing 16th overall. George finished the event in style with a 1st-place finish in Race 10, having also recorded 4th and 5th-place finishes earlier in the week.

It was also fantastic to see Rory Buckley returning to the Nationals to assist with the coaching of younger Regatta Coached sailors on the water. Having gained so much experience himself, Rory was able to give back to the fleet by supporting and encouraging the younger sailors throughout the week  a great example of the camaraderie within the KYC squad and of our older sailors helping the next generation coming through.

A great week for KYC

There was plenty to celebrate for Kinsale Yacht Club at the Irish Nationals.

From three sailors finishing inside the top 20 of the Senior Gold fleet, to Annabelle Goggin taking a Bronze podium, Penny Sorensen finishing 3rd in Regatta Coached, and strong performances from Tom, Olaf, Harry, Arthur, Ally, George and Ellen, the KYC squad showed great depth across all the fleets.

Team racing continues to be a major strength within our fleet with Síofra and Jamie taking home the national trophy.

A special thank you to KYC Coach Olan Dillon who provided valuable advice and training both on and off the water.

A huge well done to all our KYC sailors. The commitment, improvement and determination throughout the week was fantastic to see, and there is lots to be proud of as the season continues.

Report by:  Aoife Buckley