Lyttle begins term as ILCA President

At the recent 2025 ILCA Annual General Meeting, Mark Lyttle was elected as the new President of the ILCA Class Association. With decades of experience as an ILCA sailor, Olympian, and active member of the global community, he now steps into the role with enthusiasm and a deep appreciation for the class. Below is his first message to all ILCA sailors as he begins his term.

This is my first message as the new President of ILCA following our annual meeting at the weekend. I would like to start by thanking Tracy Usher for his commitment and passion to ILCA sailing over many years. In particular, his work as President in guiding the class through the transition from Laser to ILCA. I am delighted to say that the World Council has elected Tracy to the ILCA Hall of Fame. We have a thriving class and I look forward to building on that.

Just a note for those that don’t know me. I got my first Laser in 1977 (yes it had a wooden tiller), grew up sailing in Dun Laoghaire, doing events around Ireland and internationally. I sailed a Laser in 1996 Olympics for Ireland and have lived in London since then, where I have raced regularly in ILCAs at Queen Mary Sailing Club. I started doing Master events in UK in 2017 and have competed in three Masters Worlds and two Europeans since then. I have three boys, who have all sailed ILCAs. Outside sailing I have had a career in business.

I am passionate about ILCA sailing. I believe the ILCA is uniquely positioned as the most inclusive dinghy there is. We have age groups from young teenagers to sailors in their eighties, sailing and racing locally, nationally and internationally, in addition to two Olympic events. It is truly a class for everyone.

As President, I would like to lead a World Council that listens to our community, is open and responsive and works together to promote our class and the sport as a whole. I will report in December at our annual meeting about our initiatives and priorities for year ahead.

All the best,
Mark

Source: ILCA media