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Bermudian sailors Sebastian Kempe and Campbell Patton opened their 2026 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship campaigns on Tuesday amidst testing conditions at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.
With 141 of the world’s elite single-handed dinghy sailors taking to the waters of Dublin Bay, a busy three-race opening day saw the Bermudian pair navigate shifting winds and a choppy sea state in their bid to secure qualification for the coveted Gold Fleet.
Racing in the Yellow Fleet, Kempe produced the stronger overall showing of the two Bermudians on Day One.
The former Youth World Champion opened his regatta with a 22nd-place finish in Race 1, followed by an improved 17th in Race 2. He concluded the day with a 23rd-place effort in the third race.
After discarding his lowest finish (23rd) as the series' first drop came into effect, Kempe ended the opening day in 69th place overall with 39 net points.
Competing in the Red Fleet, Patton faced a challenging opening two outings before finding his rhythm in the afternoon.
Patton crossed the line in 45th in the opening race and followed with a 43rd-place finish in Race 2. However, he bounced back strongly in the third and final race of the day, carving his way through the fleet to finish in a solid 24th place.
Discarding his 45th from the opening race, Patton sits in the lower half of the leaderboard on 67 net points, with plenty of opportunities to climb the rankings as qualifying continues.
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