Lead shared after a windy opening day at the 2026 ILCA 6 Women's World Championships

Racing got underway today at the 2026 ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship, with all three fleets completing three races each. The first warning signal went out at 12:00 as planned, in a breeze that ranged from 12 to 20 knots, gusting up to 25, averaging around 16 knots. The sea wasn’t wavy so much as choppy, driven by the offshore breeze meeting the current.

Charlotte Rose (USA) leads the championship after day one with a 1-(2)-2, tied on 3 points with Emma Plasschaert (BEL), a two-time World Champion (2021, 2018), who scored 1-2-(3). Anna Munch (DEN) sits third with (5)-5-1 for 6 points.

Charlotte Rose (USA) broke down her tricky start to the day and how she fought back: “Today was offshore, so honestly my game plan was just to go where the pressure was — we definitely had some big gusts and really big lulls. My first two starts weren’t very good. I didn’t make the pin in the first race, so I had to go back around, and in the second race I just didn’t have a very good start, so I had to hustle for the rest of the race. Once I was behind, it was just, okay, get on the lifted tack, go to the pressure I’m closest to, sail my own race, and just keep fighting and hike really hard.”

“I’m really happy I came away with a 1-2-2 today — three races done, and I’m really happy with it. I’m excited for the rest of the week. This season has been going really well — I’m with Project Podium and America One Racing, so I’m really happy with our team and how we’re doing. Honestly, I’m just having fun with racing. I love it and I enjoy it every single day.”

Emma Plasschaert (BEL) reflected on a tough but rewarding first day: “Tricky day — pretty heavy, three 50-minute races, and we had to sail in as well, which we’re not quite used to. It was quite shifty too, so I don’t think it was that easy to string it all together, but obviously I’m very happy — super solid. You can’t win a championship on day one, but you can lose it, so I’m pretty happy with a solid day to go into the rest of the Qualifying Series.”

“We’re looking at a lot of different conditions, so I don’t think today really says anything, but it does give you some confidence going into tomorrow without a drop. It really starts once you get into the Gold Fleet — that’s when the real racing begins, so we’ll see about that when we get there. It was a bit of a hike-off today, which is fun, but I also enjoy that there’s a strategic side to it — it’s not just bang a corner. You pick your shifts, sail the dark patches, and it’s just good fun. Nice to race these girls, and I’m happy I can still keep doing it at a later age, I guess.”

Maxime Jonker (NED), Daisy Collingridge (GBR), and Frances Beebe (AUS) each won one of the other races today, sitting 8th, 9th, and 13th overall respectively.

Frances Beebe (AUS) was thrilled with her first senior race win: “It feels great — it’s my first Open Worlds race win, so I’m very excited. But there are still five more days to go, so we’ll see what happens. I was actually here for the Under-21 Worlds last year and got very lucky. It wasn’t raining like it’s just about to start, but it’s good fun being here — nice to be back.

“Racing against everyone was slightly terrifying, honestly, but a lot of fun. I was just trying to hold on to the lead I had today, and I managed to do it, so I’m very happy. I didn’t actually know how anyone in the Yellow Fleet went, so I’m happy for them all too. It’s good to be part of a good team and community — I’m very lucky.”

Two new races are scheduled for tomorrow to complete the Preliminary Series, with the first possible warning signal at 12:00.

Text and images courtesy of ILCA Sailing.