The GP14 World Championships will be held at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough from August 8 to 14. More than 100 boats are expected from around the world.

Among the competitors are Ellie Nolan, a teenager who has just completed her GCSEs, and Curly Morris OBE, an 82-year-old former Olympian. Both sail out of the host club and have spent extensive time on Belfast Lough.

Morris represented Ireland in the 1972 Munich Olympics and later served as International President of the GP14 Class Association. He is also a retired consultant haematologist and researcher at Queen’s University Belfast, where he contributed to advances in blood cancer research through his work with Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI. He was awarded an OBE for his services to medicine, sailing and public life.

Nolan, who grew up sailing on Belfast Lough, described the championships as a special opportunity to meet sailors from different countries and to be part of a major event on home waters.

Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Commodore Lindsay McCarty Nolan said the presence of such a wide age range at the event reflects the spirit of sailing, where experienced Olympians and newcomers can share the water and the camaraderie of the sport.