2026 ILCA 6 Women's World Championship at Dún Laoghaire, Ireland - Day 2
by Agustín Argüelles / ILCA 8 Sep 21:47 BST
5-12 September 2026
2026 ILCA 6 Women's Worlds in Dun Laoghaire Day 2 © Jordan Roberts / Down Under Sail
Charlotte Rose Takes Sole Lead as the Preliminary Series Wraps Up
The Preliminary Series concluded today at the 2026 ILCA 6 Women's World Championship, with two races completed as scheduled, bringing the total to five. Racing started at 12:00 as planned, in strong conditions of 18-24 knots and a small swell. Sailors were back ashore by around 14:45 for some well-earned rest after a physically demanding and exciting day on the water.
Charlotte Rose USA reflected on extending her lead:
"I feel really good today. I just went out and did the basics — it was a really great day of sailing, and I enjoyed it once again, so I'm really happy with my performance at the moment. We'll see how it goes the rest of the week."
"Honestly, I don't think I did anything that special. I just went in knowing it was going to be a big breeze day and fought for every single inch I could, whether I was at the front of the fleet or in the middle — just kept picking them off one by one, and it worked out."
"Gold Fleet is a whole other game — basically the whole regatta starts over. I don't think anything really changes for me, though. I just go out there, do my routines, focus on the basics, keep fighting and never give up. Just do the same."
Emma Plasschaert BEL sits second on 7 points after an (8)-1 today, while Anna Munch DEN holds third on 10 points after a 2-2.
Laughing off a sore back from a demanding day on the water, Munch was buzzing about the racing:
"It was good fun out there — really proper breeze, and still a lot of shifts, so you had to play that and keep your brain active. I enjoyed it a lot; it's a very physical boat, and I think it's rewarding that the more effort you put in, the faster you go. It's just bloody hard, and you have to kill yourself a bit, but it's nice."
"I think it's really just about attacking. The regatta basically starts tomorrow, and we've still got three more days — everything can happen. I'm looking forward to some sailing in a bit lighter wind too, and to get all the good girls together in one fleet — it's going to be so much fun. You really can't play defensive, even if you're wearing a bib — the fleet is such a high level that you have to go for it every single race. And I enjoy that a lot."
Mara Stransky AUS is fourth on 12 points after a 1-(18), and Mária Érdi HUN rounds out the top five on 15 points with a 2-6 today.
Mária Érdi HUN reflected on a solid recovery day, and on her fellow Hungarian's historic win last week:
"My body felt pretty heavy after yesterday, so I just wanted to go out and get two good ones. It's windy, so I knew that with my speed I could get a couple of good races. It was still quite tricky — I got caught out a bit in the first one, so I was very happy to sail a couple of good shifts and come away with a second. Then the second race was super tricky, with a huge shift off the line, and we were all battling it out until the end. So yeah, it all starts again tomorrow — we all know that."
"These are Charlotte's conditions, so it's pretty hard to catch her. She had a very impressive second race — an amazing last downwind. You can always learn from her. I think we've got new conditions from tomorrow, so it's going to be a different story. I'm just going to try to stay focused, sail my own race, and try to come back from mistakes."
"It doesn't change much for me and my goals, but it's amazing to watch [Jonatán Vadnai] win the biggest title in Olympic sailing — super cool. I actually told him a couple of years ago, the year I became World Champion, how cool it would be if we became World Champions at senior level at the same time, since we did it together at youth level. So yeah, it would be pretty cool. But I'm always just trying to do my best, happy for fellow Hungarians when they do well, and then just focus on my own job."
Tomorrow, the fleets split into Gold and Silver for two days of Elimination Series racing, before the sixth and final day decides the champion in the Final Series.
Every day, you can follow the races live through the Tracking, and via Reels and Stories on our Instagram and Facebook — check the links below.
The 2026 ILCA 6 Women's Worlds runs 5-12 September off the National Yacht Club and Royal St George Yacht Club, closing out an historic month of Olympic-class sailing on Dublin Bay.
The event is organised by National Yacht Club and Royal St George Yacht Club, in conjunction with ILCA. It is supported by premium sponsors Sport Ireland and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and associate sponsors Rooster, The Royal Marine Hotel, XOCEAN, and KPMG.
Find out more at 2026ilca6women.ilca-worlds.org