2026 Betting Odds

1. James O'Callaghan

favourite

4/1

Reigning champion. The man who has been to more Olympics than any Irish sailor is now attempting to add "JD double" to his CV. The short legs clearly help upwind. Back him.

2. Toby Bedell

favourite

5/1

The reigning champion before O'Callaghan dethroned him, winner in 2024, finalist in 2025. The website says he's useless at everything, and yet somehow keeps lifting trophies. This is suspicious. Heavily fancied.

3. Laura Dillon

favourite

6/1

Irish Sailing Sailor of the Year 2022. Optimist World silver. Youth World bronze. The only woman ever to win the Irish Helmsman's Championship in its 60-year history. Narrowly missed the 2000 Olympics. The entry bio says she "finally succumbed to years of hassling" — the field should be deeply worried that she's finally showed up.

4. Evan Dolan

contender

8/1

Consistent semi-finalist across multiple years, made the 2025 final and finished in the pack. Needed his wife's permission to sail, which suggests either excellent relationship management or a dangerous rival for the sailing schedule. Reliable points-scorer, just needs one big day.

5. John Brereton

contender

10/1

Exploded out of nowhere in 2025, won the first two final races and looked unstoppable — then a single bad race undid everything. Proof that this format is brutal. If he fires from the gun, he wins. Big if.

6. Rupert Bedell

contender

11/1

Won Group A in 2025, made the final, showed genuine form for the first time in recorded history. The website's glowing tribute ("a great lad") confirms this is a man peaking. But a poor first beat in the final told the real story. Top 5 probable. Winner? Maybe one day.

7. John Marmelstein

contender

12/1

Won SF B in 2025, led up the first beat of the final before an untimely capsize to windward ended his dreams. Has clearly rediscovered his Laser mojo. The bare feet may be unconventional but you can't argue with the speed.

8. Dylan Gannon

contender

12/1

Former RNLI Regatta champion, so the man can clearly sail. New to the JD but arriving with serious CV credentials. Could be the dark horse who doesn't know he should be afraid of the field. Watch him.

9. Tim Noone

contender

14/1

Regular finalist who the market has consistently underrated. Organises the boats for the whole event — the logistical mastery required to do that while also racing competitively is frankly terrifying. He knows where every boat is. On and off the water.

10. Colin 'Cabbage' Kavanagh

contender

14/1

Improving form through 2025, made the final, sailed well. Faster than expected for someone named after a brassica. The nickname suggests he may have been underestimated his entire sailing career, and he may be about to prove everyone wrong.

11. Darragh Peelo

contender

14/1

Pushed Ken Hoffman hard in 2025 groups and has the schoolboy looks that apparently conceal the wisdom of a 72-year-old. Deaf, blind, and still making semis. If the other competitors knew the truth about his age they'd be even more alarmed.

12. Ken Hoffman

contender

16/1

Former Optimist National Champion who finally "found his groove" in 2025, topping a difficult group. The beard does not appear to generate drag. Fell away in the semis but a man of his pedigree — and stubble — should be feared in 2026.

13. Conal Casey

contender

14/1

Back for a third crack after campaigns in '22 and '23 — and the form book says this is precisely when a serious sailor finds their feet in a new format. Pattern recognition, course knowledge, and the burning memory of two near-misses. Third time is very much the charm.

14. Gareth Giles

contender

18/1

Made the 2025 final, which is genuinely good. The website's suggestion that he lay off the fish fingers may hold the key to a podium finish. Weight management is, after all, a legitimate performance variable in a dinghy.

15. Andy George

contender

20/1

The website simply calls him "a dark horse," which is exactly what you say about someone you're quietly backing. Unknown form at this regatta is as likely to mean "dangerous unknown" as "politely competitive." At 20/1, worth a flutter.

16. David Killen

contender

20/1

Serious about sailing. And investments. The question is which one gets more of his attention on race day. A man who approaches his portfolio with this kind of discipline may yet apply the same ruthlessness to the race course.

17. Shane Giles

outsider

25/1

Ireland's Greatest Smoker 2002–2008. Six-time champion of a category that absolutely required lung capacity and boat speed in equal measure. Presumably retired from both disciplines now, but the competitive fires — and possibly a Benson & Hedges — still flicker. Almost took the title in 2022 final, but has been quiet since. 

18. Jeremy Law

outsider

25/1

Won the Spacker League convincingly in 2025 and made the final — a genuine Leicester City moment. The question is whether lightning strikes twice. Probably not. But the 2025 run suggested hidden depths that the odds don't fully respect.

19. Ciaran Stanley

outsider

28/1

Surprise 2025 finalist via the Spacker League, despite conditions not suiting him — genuinely impressive. Also got eliminated on his birthday in 2024, which is the kind of poetic suffering that breeds champions. Don't write him off.

20. Peter Levins

outsider

30/1

Former Development Squad helm making a "highly anticipated debut." That is a lot of expectation for someone who hasn't sailed the JD format before. Either he arrives like a comet or learns a painful lesson. Either way, we're watching.

21. Paula McNaughton

outsider

33/1

Semi-finalist in 2025, progressed on countback — a woman who knows how to squeeze every last point out of the system. Escaped the North in 2005 and has been quietly menacing competition ever since.

22. Helen Vaughan

outsider

33/1

Top lady in 2025 and a regular semi-finalist. Has successfully combined psychotherapy and traffic reporting, which is ideal preparation for reading both the wind and the fleet's mental state. Firm favourite for ladies' honours — though Laura Dillon's arrival may change that calculation.

23. Padge Stanley

outsider

35/1

Sailing well going into 2026 but an unfortunate collision in the semi-final ended his event early. Sailing well counts for something. Collisions count against you.

24. Fintan Stanley 

outsider

40/1

Surprise finalist in the first JD regatta in 2022, shows anything is possible in this event with the right mindset. May be distracted by everyone ordering a flat white off him every 5 minutes. Questions over his race temperament following online recing incidences. Still, shouldn't be overlooked. 

25. Stephen Kennedy

outsider

40/1

Still searching for the magic Australian-built Laser. Until he finds it, the search for a first strong result continues in parallel. One suspects the boat is not the issue. Still, a man with a quest is a motivated man.

26. Tim Concannon

outsider

40/1

A conundrum since 2001. Nobody quite knows what to make of him, which means nobody quite knows how fast he is. In a format where the draw and the conditions can reverse any result, the unknown quantity is always more dangerous than the odds suggest.

27. Noel Davidson

outsider

40/1

El Vice Commodoro. A man of authority and rank. Has spent enough years watching the fleet from the clubhouse to know exactly what everyone else is doing wrong. Now he just needs to stop doing it himself on the water.

28. Carl Griffin

outsider

40/1

Mast failure in 2024. Still awaiting compensation. A man nursing a grievance against the equipment gods is either dangerously motivated or one rigging failure away from a very long swim. We wish him and his mast well.

29. Murrough Kavanagh

outsider

40/1

Finished 2nd in a race in the 1985 Optimist trials. That is exactly the kind of formline that takes 41 years to live down. If this regatta were sailed in 1985, in Optimists, in that one race, Murrough would be dangerous. Otherwise — a sentimental bet only.