Please select your home edition
Edition
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic Range

In Rarefied Company

by Mark Jardine 6 Feb 2024 12:00 PST
Matt Wearn crosses the line to win the 2024 ILCA 7 Men World Championship © Jack Fletcher / Down Under Sail

Winning the ILCA 7 Worlds is one of the pinnacle achievements in sailing. Winning it more than once puts you in rarefied company.

Until now, in the 50-year history of the Laser / ILCA 7 World Championship, just seven sailors have multiple world titles in the class: John Bertrand (USA, 2), Glenn Bourke (AUS, 3), Robert Scheidt (BRA, 9!), Ben Ainslie (GBR, 2), Tom Slingsby (AUS, 5), Nick Thompson (GBR, 2) and Pavlos Kontides (CYP, 2). That's quite a list.

Matt Wearn has just joined this list, which puts him amongst these legends, and it was by no means easy. The 152 entries at Adelaide Sailing Club saw a range of conditions, and after the second day Norway's Hermann Tomasgaard led the charge, but Wearn kept knocking in top results to take the lead on day 3. Great Britain's Micky Beckett kept the pressure on, just a single point behind Wearn after day 4, but the cream rose to the top, with the penultimate day, held in 25+ knot winds, proving decisive.

Going into the Medal Race with an 8-point lead, Matt then proceeded to find a clear lane at the start, leading at every mark, crossing the finish line first. That's how to win in style.

He's now gone back-to-back, winning both the 2023 and 2024 ILCA 7 World Championship titles, and he's the Olympic champion in the class, having won gold at Tokyo 2020.

Big wind sailing in a singlehanded hiking dinghy is tough. I can't count the number of times I've gone upwind, wishing the rounding mark closer, then trying to catch my breath for the first half of the downwind leg while trying not to get into a death roll.

At the top end of the sport there's no time to relax. The downwind legs are just as physical as the upwinds, and all the time you need to keep your head in the game to think tactically. The manoeuvres and kinetics on board need to be second nature.

We spoke to Matt after the Worlds to find out how he's developed his skills:

"I owe a lot of my hiking fitness to the base that was built through my early years in the boat. I was fortunate enough to be guided by Arthur Brett on what the right technique is, and have continued to use these philosophies through my entire career. This, I believe, allows me to be more efficient from a physical sense, which in turn keeps the heart rate lower and allows me to think clearer, especially at the back end of a 20 minute upwind. Obviously time in the boat and years of sailing in those types of conditions also gives you a great advantage when you need it."

The class itself, and strict one design sailing, means you can't lean on a technical advantage. At the big championships you don't even sail your own boat as the equipment is supplied, as Matt explained:

"The one design nature of the class means you are on an equal playing field. The fact that when we go to major events the boats are supplied, so you have to be able to adapt to the small variances, brings the best sailors to the top. The simplicity of the design, with minimal ability to change anything, means that you have to be on top of your tactical decisions due to everyone's boat speed being the same."

Being an Olympic year, sealing this win is a huge confidence boost ahead of Paris 2024, but also frees up Matt to work on any aspects of his sailing ahead of the Games:

"It's amazing! To win the Worlds last year and stamp my authority at the top of the fleet again was great, but to go back-to-back and also in an Olympic year feels amazing! It's so important to get good results on the board early in the year so you can concentrate on fixing what needs to be fixed pre-Games without the results pressure."

It is ominous indeed for his fellow competitors when the best is already looking at how to get better. Matt Wearn has truly entered the pantheon of greats and is the man to beat in Marseille when the Olympic ILCA 7 racing starts on Thursday 1st August.

Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor

Related Articles

(More than) A Day at the Races
The UK is the place to be right now if you're a sailor The UK is the place to be right now if you're a sailor, and I don't think I've ever known a time when so many great events are happening concurrently. Posted on 22 Jul
Were the Roos Robbed in Portsmouth?
We discuss the Race 6 Penalty with SailGP's Chief Umpire Craig Mitchell The high speed, short course action of SailGP is thrilling to watch, but inevitably causes tight situations and means the Umpires have to react quickly to decide who is right and who is wrong. Posted on 22 Jul
SailGP comes to Portsmouth!
We speak to the sailors ahead of the weekend The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth takes place this weekend, with the 12 teams competing in F50 catamarans close to the waterfront, where a massive grandstand has been built for the spectators. Posted on 18 Jul
A Q&A on the 2025 Corsair Nationals and the BBMHR
Peter Vakhutinsky and Andy Houlding discuss the 2025 Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Re If you race, sail, or love multihulls and live in New England (or the Northeast), the Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta should be on your radar. Posted on 16 Jul
The Ocean Cleanup's 30 Cities Program
A look at The Ocean Cleanup and its the 30 Cities Program The cliche goes that one should avoid meeting one's heroes, as there's always a chance that the flesh-and-blood person might not live up to expectations. While I've never met Boyan Slat, I'd gladly take this risk. Posted on 15 Jul
Double Double
And the rest of the line is not toil and trouble, but quadruple, then another double… On the eve of the 100th Fastnet that has attracted some 464 entries, I heard of one entry in this record fleet that seemed so very apt. Not only because it includes the Commodore of the RORC, but because it combines two Brits and two Aussies. Posted on 13 Jul
Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects! Posted on 10 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe Video Preview
We speak to Phil Lawrence, Peter Rusch & Pip Hare to find out more The Ocean Race Europe will take place between 10 August & 21 September, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. The racing is in IMOCA yachts, the same as the Vendée Globe, but this time with 4 crew and an OBR who will document the action on board. Posted on 8 Jul
Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title. Posted on 7 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted on 6 Jul
Lloyd Stevenson - Catalyst GT 1456x180px BOTTOMBarton Marine Pipe GlandsArmstrong 728x90 - Wing FG Board Range - BOTTOM