Sailors from Ballyholme Yacht Club in County Down will compete in the Irish Sailing Youth Nationals on home waters from April 9-12.

Alex Eadie and James Eadie represent the club in the ILCA 4 class after moving up from the Topper fleet. Alex finished first among girls at the Topper Youth Nationals and as the top girl in Topper Ireland. James placed second as youth boy at the Topper Southerns and Northerns. The twins competed in the gold fleet at the Topper World Championships.

Both train with Northern Ireland Sailing Team coach Chris Penney and sailing coach Roger Craig on race strategy and tactics. They target top 10 finishes at the Nationals.

Sally Nixon and Jessica Dadley Young compete in the RS Feva class. They placed third overall at the John Minnis Youth Championships and second at the RS Feva Nationals Grand Prix at Ballyholme in 2024. They will represent Ireland at the RS Feva World Championships in Travemünde, Germany, later this year.

Cormac Byrne sails in the ILCA 6 class. He raced at the Europa Cup in Germany among 140 sailors and qualified for the gold fleet. He races against adults while studying for A-Levels.

Caroline Byrne competes in the Topper class as a member of the Irish Sailing squad and Northern Ireland Sailing Team. She finished first girl at the John Minnis NI Youth Championships and first junior female at the Topper Northern Championships 2025.

Cormac Byrne thanked Irish Sailing, Ballyholme Yacht Club, Ards and North Down Borough Council, sponsors and volunteers for their support. He stated that home support and local opportunities aid development and high-level competition.