Kinsale’s Matthew Thuillier, with crew Mena Sweetman (Waterford Harbour SC), were first in the U17 Mixed Category at the 420 British National Championship.
This follows fellow KYC member Caoimhe Corkery’s memorable achievement earlier in the month when, sailing with crew Riona McMorrow-Moriarty, she became the 2026 420 Irish National Champion.
After a very successful 420 Irish National Championship seven Irish crews packed up their boats to travel to the British event hosted by Brixham Yacht Club in Devon. Irish sailors from Cork, Galway, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford, representing 8 different clubs, made the journey to the event as part of the Irish team. Cork sailors had the largest representation and included three Kinsale Yacht Club members: Caoimhe Corkery, Matthew Thuillier and Billy Mallin.
In the UK the sailor profile of the 420 has a substantial number of adult sailors and many sailors continue with 420 sailing throughout their college years and beyond. To incentivise younger sailors the British 420 Association splits the fleet into two categories: U17 and Open (over 17) and recognises different crew combinations Male, Female and Mixed gender boats.
Matthew Thuillier and Mena Sweetman, the only Irish U17 boat, had a strong first day in an overall fleet of 51 boats and the end of racing saw them leading the U17 Mixed category in the event. Caoimhe Corkery and crew, Riona McMorrow-Moriarty, were lying 21st overall after three tough races in windy conditions. Billy Mallin sailing with RCYC’s Harry Coole suffered gear failure and were unable to complete the second and third races.
Sailors had a welcome rest day on Saturday due to high winds before going back on the water on Sunday and Monday over which the remaining 7 races were completed in challenging conditions. Consistent results across the remaining races saw Matthew and Mena maintain a healthy gap to come first in the U17 Mixed category and 8th overall in the U17 competition. Caoimhe and Riona finished strongly with a 15th and 14th on the last day earning them 3rd overall on the Open Female category.
Travelling to 420 association events in Ireland places sailors into an arena where they compete and learn at organised training sessions with championship winning coaches in a friendly and positive environment. Making the leap to international events with much bigger fleets and a higher standard allows sailors to hone their sailing and racing skills at another level. Over the seven days of the event the British 420 National Championships provided Irish sailors with the opportunity to participate in two days of expert training by World Championship winning coaches, a day of practice races followed by four days of racing at the highest level. Off the water the sailors enjoyed an extensive social programme including: competitions, quiz’s, karaoke and the championship black tie dinner which is the social highlight of the event.
Two more events remain in the 2026 Irish Association Calendar with the 420 Leinster Championship in Blessington in September and a 420 Training weekend in Lough Derg in October. There are opportunities to sail at these events by partnering up with more experienced sailors and any interested KYC sailors should reach out to KYC members Bill Thuillier and John Corkery who are both on the Irish 420 Association National Committee.
Report by: Bill Thuillier – Irish 420 Association National Committee.
