We are in a fortunate position where SailCoach will be on site a few days before the ILCA U21 World Championships, providing an excellent opportunity for sailors to fine-tune their skills, familiarise themselves with the venue, and gain valuable insights from our experienced coaching team.

This coaching tour is designed for ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 sailors under the age of 21 who are serious about their racing and eager to gain experience at a major international regatta. Whether you’re aiming for a top result or using this event as part of your long-term development, the SailCoach team will be on hand to guide you through every step of the championship week.

Our programme includes a short training block in the days leading up to the regatta, where sailors can get to know the venue, refine boat speed, and sharpen their routines. During the championship itself, SailCoach coaches will support athletes both on and off the water, covering race strategy, weather briefings, boat park logistics, and post-race debriefs. As SailCoach enters our 31st year, we take pride in offering what we call “Coaching Tours” backed by three decades of experience.

Learning Goals

At this Championship, the SailCoach team will focus on improving your regatta preparation skills. Our coaches will work with you daily, setting up a structured plan and goals for the upcoming regatta. You’ll learn important details about preparing for events, ensuring you’re informed and ready.

Additionally, our coaches will teach you how to adapt to different weather conditions and handle the pressures of high-level competition. A big part of this will be developing and using effective race strategies. You’ll get better at analysing races and refining your tactics, with our coaches giving you helpful feedback and showing you how to assess your own performance. This coaching will prepare you to compete like leading athletes prepare.

Success in sports doesn’t happen overnight, it requires a lot of time and effort. With our coaching, you will have learned the right ways to prepare for a championship. Therefore, we recommend you continue to train and compete regularly to hone these techniques and skills.

A typical day

The day would start with a morning briefing, looking over the weather forecasting and communicating anything important from the coaches meeting and specific points to note for the days racing. The SailCoach coaches will offer you coaching support afloat, such as towing if necessary to get to the starting line. Carry any bags with food and spare parts, along with a jacket to keep warm between races.

The day finishes with a post-race debrief and discussion of the day’s events. In some cases, our coaches will make briefings individually, going around the boat park before or after racing, depending on the circumstances. We advise our sailors to settle any differences on the water or in the boat park when possible. However, we will be there to support you during protests if all else fails.

Numbers will be limited on this coaching tour, so you are advised to book early.

Program:

14th of January 2026
Arrive at César Manrique-Lanzarote (ACE), and be met by SailCoach’s friendly coaching staff member, who will take you to Playa Blanca, about an hour’s journey along the scenic views of the coast and make your way to the accommodation. (Optional: Bus shuttle to Playa Blanca)

14th and 18th of January 2026
During familiarisation days, SailCoach will be training at the regatta venue for four days before the event. It gives sailors a chance to get over jet lag and gain valuable knowledge of the area. Our coaches will help you develop a “Game Plan” strategy and provide you with video analysis that may perfect your boat handling and speed. Having the right preparation is a must when going into an important event. These pre-regatta days will also help you get to know our coaches, a significant advantage when racing begins.

19th to the 24th of January 2026
Racing starts in the ILCA 4 Youth Europeans, in what promises to be a tough event, ahead lies eight days of racing. However, don’t worry, SailCoach’s experienced coaching staff will be there with you, giving you all the support you need on and off the water to help you reach your goals.

25th of January 2026
A member of the SailCoach staff will drop you off at César Manrique-Lanzarote (ACE) for your journey home, hopefully with a trophy or two under your belt. One thing is for sure, you will have gained a lot of experience in these major events and have sweet memories that will stay with you for the rest of your life. (Optional: Bus Shuttle to Airport)

ILCA Under 21 Worlds Coaching Tour Package

As mentioned above, we can offer you our total package for this championship, which includes airport transfers, accommodation, pre-training and venue familiarisation prior to the championship, help with registration and measurement and our world-class coaching. On top of this, you would need to budget for flights, entry fees, ILCA Dinghy charter, meal expenses and pocket money.

There is a “day coaching” option for the young sailors who would like to stay with their parents and have our coaching staff look after everything on the water.

Charter Boat Options
Due to logistical difficulties, chartering a boat through SailCoach is not possible at this time but we would be happy to put you in touch with our charter boat partner Charterboat.eu