01/10/2026
🌊 MAYO MAYHEM POWERED BY RWE 2026
THE ONE THAT WILL BE HARD TO BEAT
What can I say?
We thought Mayo Mayhem 2025 was epic and would take a long time to beat.
We were wrong.
A week before this year’s event, people were already openly talking about the possibility that it might not happen that weekend. Some were preparing themselves for a rollover and another nervous wait for the right conditions.
Nobody could have predicted what was about to happen.
Mayo Mayhem powered by RWE 2026 was, without doubt, our biggest and most memorable edition yet.
The conditions, the quality of the riding, the atmosphere and the sheer number of people who travelled to be part of it all came together to create something very special.
The Atlantic switched on a few days before the competition started — and it looks like it has no intention of switching off anytime soon!
Once again, the event showed exactly what Mayo Mayhem is all about: Irish riders, visiting riders and competitors from across Europe coming together to chase wind and waves, compete hard, make new friends and have a seriously good time.
________________________________________
🌊 THURSDAY — THE UNOFFICIAL MAYO MAYHEM WARM-UP
Mayo Mayhem never really waits until the official start.
For those who arrived early, Thursday delivered the perfect warm-up.
The first session was at Elly Beach, with 3.7 and 4.2 sails getting plenty of use. As the southerly swung southwest and eased a little, the action moved to Cross Beach, where head-high waves provided a brilliant evening session, with most riders settling onto 4.7s.
And just like that, Mayo Mayhem was underway.
By Friday morning, riders were arriving from all directions and Unas Pub in Blacksod, our Mayo Mayhem HQ, became the meeting point.
Coffee and pastries, courtesy of Thibault from Tartan Organic Bakery, helped break the ice as old friends caught up and new friendships were made.
Goodie bags were handed out, forecasts were studied and the plan for the weekend was set:
Find the best conditions Mayo could offer and share them with one of the friendliest, most enthusiastic — and seriously competitive — groups of windsurfers you could ask for.
________________________________________
🔥 FRIDAY — CROSS BEACH DELIVERS
Cross Beach was once again selected as our competition venue.
The forecast promised southwest winds and a west swell, with the wind expected to build throughout the day.
The competition zone was set around 500 metres up the beach in front of the main peak, giving competitors the best possible conditions but potentially a lot of walking, This year, however, we had a secret weapon.
A quad bike with a flatbed trailer ran up and down the beach all day transporting riders and equipment. (Saving the organisers from listening to a beach full of complaints about the walk! 😂)
It turned out to be almost as much fun as the windsurfing. There was definitely a bit of the kid in all of us as we flew up and down the beach!
Then it was time to get serious.
The Amateurs hit the water first, followed by the Women, Under-18s and Pro fleet.
We managed to run close to 20 heats before the huge spring tide eventually decided it had had enough and evicted us from the beach.
What a first day of competition.
Wind. Waves. Sunshine. And a beach full of colour and energy.
With the site packed down, everyone headed back to Unas for food, drinks and the usual amount of rubbish talking before Saturday’s main event.
And what a main event it would turn out to be.
________________________________________
🔥 SATURDAY — ELLY BEACH GOES NEXT LEVEL
Saturday began with an 8:30am beach briefing, with the first heat hitting the water at 10am.
The day started with the second-chance rounds before the wind really filled in and we moved into several hours of solid side-shore conditions.
Then Elly started to build.
The waves went from around half-mast to logo-high and beyond, the sails got smaller and smaller, and the standard of sailing went through the roof.
This was the Mayo everyone had travelled for.
________________________________________
🏄 THE NEXT GENERATION — OUR FIRST UNDER-18 FLEET
For the first time ever, Mayo Mayhem introduced an Under-18 fleet.
And what a group of young lads they were.
The bravery and enthusiasm they showed was genuinely inspiring.
They launched into some of the biggest conditions many of them had ever experienced — and rather than being intimidated, they absolutely loved it.
We managed to run several heats before the safety team made the call that conditions had become too extreme to continue the U18 competition fairly and safely.
That was absolutely the right decision.
In the end, Joshua Roberts was awarded first place.
A huge amount of respect goes to all four of our young competitors:
🌊 Mateusz Lotocki
🌊 Oscar Roe
🌊 Sam Comey
🏆 Joshua Roberts
Remember those names.
If this is the future of Irish windsurfing, the future looks very bright indeed.
________________________________________
🏆 AMATEURS
The Amateur semi-finals produced two three-man heats, with Ameriac Delabatie and Jack Andrews narrowly missing out on the final.
That left:
Pawel Jankowski
Mark Henderson
Clément Créach
Cathal Clarke
to battle it out for the Mayo Mayhem Amateur title.
And what conditions they got for it.
Logo- to mast-high sets rolled through, with riders down on 3.4 to 3.7 sails.
It became a fierce battle between Pawel and Mark, but in the end Mark Henderson found the extra points he needed with a clean forward to secure the win.
🏆 AMATEUR RESULTS
🥇 Mark Henderson — UK / Ezzy
🥈 Pawel Jankowski — Poland / Ireland
🥉 Cathal Clarke — Ireland
4️⃣ Clément Créach — France
An epic final in conditions that none of them will forget in a hurry.
________________________________________
🏆 WOMEN
The Women’s competition produced one of the surprises of the weekend when local legend Katie McAnena had an uncharacteristic semi-final and missed out on the final.
That left Irish riders Amy O'Donnell and Aoife Cooke facing visiting French challengers Taina Postec and Maïwenn Deffontaines.
Strong winds. Big waves. Four riders going for it.
It produced a brilliant final.
And when it was over, it was local ripper Amy O'Donnell who raised the Irish flag and took the win. 🇮🇪🔥
🏆 WOMEN’S RESULTS
🥇 Amy O'Donnell — Ireland
🥈 Taina Postec — France
🥉 Maïwenn Deffontaines — France
4️⃣ Aoife Cooke — Ireland
A fantastic performance from all four women in seriously demanding conditions.
________________________________________
🔥 THE PRO FLEET
Then came the men’s semi-finals.
And things went completely off the charts.
The first semi-final featured Nicolas Quéméner, Rob , Baptiste Cloarec and Alex Dugan.
The second brought together Julius Byrne, Timo Mullen and Lucas Meldrum.
One of the moments of the entire weekend came early in that second semi-final.
Timo came absolutely flying off the beach, found a huge ramp and launched into a massive double forward.
Two rotations.
A huge reaction from the beach.
For a moment, it looked like he had it.
Unfortunately, the landing wasn’t quite there, and the lost points ultimately proved enough to keep him out of the final.
But what a moment.
In the same heat, Julius and Lucas were absolutely on fire.
Both produced what many people watching described as some of the best sailing of their lives, combining stylish wave riding with huge forwards and backies.
And somehow, things were about to get even better.
________________________________________
🚀 THE PRO FINAL — MAYO MAYHEM TURNED UP TO 11
If the semi-finals were epic, the final turned the volume up to 11.
Baptiste Cloarec.
Nicolas Quéméner.
Julius Byrne.
Lucas Meldrum.
Four riders came out fighting in conditions that were already incredible — and somehow managed to make them look even better.
Lucas looked dominant early on, putting together wave after wave of high-scoring moves.
Then Baptiste came alive.
A beautiful wave ride finished with a clean, big one-handed Goiter.
Lucas and Julius responded with Goiter attempts of their own, with Lucas sticking his.
Nicolas struggled to find the same rhythm, with his normally dominant jumping not quite coming together when he needed it.
For a while, it genuinely looked like Lucas had the title.
Then came the final minutes.
Baptiste launched high into the air, threw the board back and committed to a massive push loop.
The beach erupted. 🔥
The judges rewarded it with 8.5 points.
Combined with his stylish wave riding, one-handed goyters and big backies, it was enough to put him on top.
🏆🪓 BAPTISTE CLOAREC BECAME THE MAYO MAYHEM POWERED BY RWE 2026 PRO CHAMPION — AND TOOK HOME THE FAMOUS MAYO MAYHEM AXE.
🏆 PRO RESULTS
🥇 Baptiste Cloarec — France / RRD
🥈 Lucas Meldrum — UK / North & Goya
🥉 Nicolas Quéméner — France / Ocean 5 & Flikka
4️⃣ Julius Byrne — Ireland / Starboard
The results only tell part of the story.
Lucas and Julius, in particular, pushed Baptiste all the way and produced outstanding performances in some seriously demanding conditions.
It was one hell of a final.
________________________________________
❤️ THE FUTURE PRO / MIKEY CLANCY AWARD
Some awards are about results.
This one is about something different.
The Future Pro / Mikey Clancy Award goes to the rider who embodies the spirit we want to see at Mayo Mayhem — someone who brings stoke, passion, fun, excitement and positivity to the event.
Someone who simply loves being there.
This year, that person was Fionn Lynch.
The guy just didn’t stop smiling.
His enthusiasm and positivity were infectious, and he brought exactly the kind of energy this award is all about.
🏆❤️ Congratulations, Fionn. Never lose that stoke.
________________________________________
🌙 AND THAT WAS MAYO MAYHEM 2026...
…or was it?
With the light fading and the tide rising, the competition was finally done.
Everyone headed back to Unas for dinner, the prize-giving and, of course…
🎧🔥 DJ MAYHEM!
The competition might have been finished.
The windsurfing definitely wasn’t.
Sunday started slowly before another pulse of wind and swell arrived.
Around 20 riders headed back to Cross Beach for another fantastic day of sunshine and port-tack wave riding, while another 15 or so went down the road to Faulmore for some starboard-tack action.
And still it wasn’t over.
Many of our visiting riders stayed on for Monday’s session at Elly, scoring yet another logo-high day.
And Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and the wind hasn’t stopped and it is still looking epic.
After a relatively quiet summer for wind and waves, the Atlantic had finally woken from its slumber.
It couldn’t have timed it any better.
________________________________________
🌍 A EUROPEAN GATHERING ON THE MAYO COAST
This is the bit that really matters.
What makes Mayo Mayhem special isn’t simply who wins.
It isn’t just the wind.
And it isn’t just the waves.
It’s the people.
Riders travel from all over Ireland and across Europe to sail together, compete against each other and experience this incredible corner of County Mayo.
Local Irish talent alongside visiting French, British, Polish and European riders.
Sponsored professionals sharing the beach with dedicated amateurs.
Established names alongside an Under-18 fleet experiencing their first taste of Mayo Mayhem competition.
Old friends reunited.
New friendships made.
People battling each other in a heat one minute and laughing together on the beach the next.
That is Mayo Mayhem.
And that is what Mayo Mayhem powered by RWE is all about.
💨 Big wind.
🌊 Big waves.
🚀 Big moves.
🌍 An international crew.
😂 Big characters.
❤️ And a whole lot of fun.
We thought 2025 was going to be hard to beat.
We were wrong.
🔥🌊 MAYO MAYHEM POWERED BY RWE 2026 JUST RAISED THE BAR AGAIN. 🌊🔥
And something tells us…
2027 has a lot to live up to. 🤙
Words: Malcolm Scott
Photos: Marco Cavalleri, Maleen Hoekstra , Matthew Burridge & Conor Ryan
LOLEX LTD
Goya Windsurfing
Paddyintheelements Watersports
Energia
Godzilla Surf Shop
Witchcraft Windsurfing
K4 Fins
Tartine Organic Bakery
Windsurf Magazine
Windsurfing UK
Paros Windsurf Center
Jamie Knox Watersports
Windsurfing.TV
Mayo North Tourism, Ireland
FLIKKAboards
