Please select your home edition
Edition
RYA Membership

2024 ILCA Masters World Championships at Adelaide Sailing Club - Overall

by Harry Fisher, Down Under Sail 10 Feb 2024 11:47 GMT 2-10 February 2024

Nine new ILCA World Champions have been crowned as the 2024 ILCA Masters Worlds came to a close at the Adelaide Sailing Club today.

The event will be remembered for strong winds and big swells, some absolutely textbook Adelaide conditions that stuck around for the entirety of the event and gave sailors some tough days, as well as some glamour sailing days as well.

A number of the divisions were stitched up convincingly, while a handful of them came right down to the wire, with some tense moments out on the course in the last two races today.

In the ILCA 7 Apprentice division, it was New Zealand's Luke Deegan who was far too good, holding a strong lead all regatta to clinch the win ahead of Ireland's Colin Leonard in second and Italy's Lorenzo Cerretelli in third.

In the ILCA 6 Apprentices, a three-person battle quickly became clear early in the event, with Argentina's Franco Riquelme Antonetti ending up atop the podium after being able to play defence on the final day, while Tokyo 2020 Olympian Svenja Weger (GER) finished second overall and first female, and Adil Khalid of the United Arab Emirates finished third.

In the ILCA 7 Masters, Brendan Casey (AUS) made a triumphant return to the ILCA class with a dominant display that saw him clinch the world championship ahead of David Whait (AUS) in second and Scott Leith (NZL) in third.

In the ILCA 6 Masters, a great battle ensued between Scott Small (AUS), Phil Wild (NZL) and Jon Emmett (GBR), but it was Small who edged clear and claimed a great win after only returning to the sport a few months ago. Wild finished second and Emmett third.

In the ILCA 7 Grand Masters division, Australian Brett Beyer was only one position off a perfect picket fence scorecard, discarding a second from the opening race and then carrying only bullets for each remaining race. He finished well clear of Andrew Dellabarca (NZL) in second and Mark Lyttle (GBR) in third.

In the ILCA 6 Grand Masters, Australian Mark Tonner-Joyce held a solid lead throughout the entirety of the event, however with an 18th as his discard from Day 1, he could not afford any large scores late in the regatta.

Unfortunately for Tonner-Joyce, a Black Flag starting penalty in Race 11 today forced him to carry the 18 from Day 1, and even after winning the final race he fell short by just two points.

American Andrew Holdsworth was crowned World Champion, Tonner-Joyce finished second and Australian Bruce Savage was third.

In the ILCA 7 Great Grand Masters, Australian Steve Gunther won nine of the 12 races to clinch the title in emphatic fashion, while rival Tim Law (GBR) finished second and Michael Wilson (AUS) finished third.

In the ILCA 6 Great Grand Masters, a huge fleet assembled for what ended up being a great battle.

James Mitchell, Australian ILCA stalwart and the organiser of the 2020 ILCA Worlds events in Melbourne, ended up clinching a maiden world championship, finishing 10 points clear of Briton Terry Scutcher in second, while Richard Longbottom (AUS) finished third.

Finally, in the ILCA 6 Legends division it was American Bill Symes that came away with a dominant win, claiming the title 24 points clear of Tim Alexander (AUS) in second, and a further six points to Robert Lowndes (AUS) in third.

The completion of the Masters brings a massive summer of ILCA sailing in Adelaide to a close, with some excellent reviews in and around the boat park of the performance of the host club, Adelaide Sailing Club.

Congratulations to all the volunteers and the competitors for working hand-in-hand to put on an exceptional event.

For full results, and more information about the event, head to ilca2024adelaide.ilca-worlds.org

Related Articles

ILCA Women's Coaching Weekend at King George SC
Sailing, skills, and sunshine - thanks to SailingFast and Wildwind King George Sailing Club played host to an ILCA Women's Coaching Programme, welcoming sixteen female sailors from as far away as Lancashire and East Anglia ranging from 14 year olds to, err, ladies of a certain age, all excited to learn together. Posted on 20 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds overall
The northern wind arrives - Qingdao's final challenge Today marks the final day of the 2025 ILCA World Championships. While the champions have yet to be crowned, Qingdao's signature northern wind has already unfurled the curtain on the ultimate showdown. Posted on 17 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 5
Clearing Skies and Fresh Breezes: Racing Finally Begins in Qingdao After four consecutive days of still air and thick fog, the ILCA World Championships in Qingdao finally saw its first official races on Day 5. Posted on 16 May
ILCA Women's Coaching Programme goes international
Sailors aged age 14 - 60 enjoyed a great week in Greece Maartje van Dam, Chief Instructor at Wildwind explained, "We have sponsored the ILCA Women's Coaching Programme in the UK from the beginning and saw the opportunity to offer a whole week of coaching with our first Women's ILCA Clinic at Wildwind. Posted on 16 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 4
Wind yet to arrive, fog prevails Heavy fog returned from the south, choking off what little wind remained. At 11:17 a.m., AP over H was hoisted. The fleet was towed back to shore once again, for yet another stretch of waiting. Posted on 15 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 3
The wind stays away and the day is cancelled once more For the third consecutive day, the ILCA World Championship race course remained stalled under a windless sky. A dense fog clung to the Olympic Sailing Center, muting the horizon and chilling the air to a damp 17 degrees C. Posted on 14 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 2
A Windless Day, A Test of Patience The second day of qualification at the ILCA World Championships brought stillness rather than sail. With calm seas and motionless air, the day became a test of patience, resilience, and focus for all competitors. Posted on 13 May
ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's Worlds day 1
Wind drops during a period known for the strongest tidal currents The first day of the ILCA World Championship brought a dual challenge of tide and wind to the waters off Qingdao. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, today marks the 15th day of the fourth month — a period known for the strongest tidal currents. Posted on 12 May
ILCA Midland Grand Prix at Attenborough
A mixed fleet of ILCA 6 and 7s took to the water representing eight different clubs A mixed fleet of ILCA 6 and 7s took to the water at Attenborough on Saturday representing 8 different clubs. 3 races were held under clear blue skies but with a ESE wind direction it wasn't ideal for a perfect course due to islands within the small lake. Posted on 11 May
ILCA Thames Valley Series Open at Fishers Green
Occasional huge shifts from south-west to north-west for the fleet to contend with Fishers Green SC held their annual Laser/ILCA open meeting on 3rd May which is part of the ILCA Thames Valley Series. Posted on 7 May