Dublin Bay Sailing Club Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly set a windward/leeward course of three rounds for the DBSC Water Wag race on (Wednesday evening, May 24th) at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

20 boats competed in an 8-10kt NNW breeze but only after a delay of approximately 15 minutes due to cruise ship tender operations in the harbour.

Six boats were over the line at the start, with all bar one of them failing to return.

The results were:

1. No. 15 Moosmie, John O’Driscoll
2. No. 52 Puffin, Seán Craig
3. No. 47 Peggy, David Corcoran

Dublin Bay Sailing Club Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly set a windward/leeward course of four rounds for the DBSC Water Wag handicap race on Wednesday evening at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

18 boats competed over eight staggered starts in a light SSE breeze before it shifted to a WSW direction after the first round.

The results were:

1. No. 14 Phillis, Fraser Mitchell
2. No. 52 Puffin, Seán Craig
3. No. 21 Jacqueline, Hugh Delap

DBSC Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly postponed Wednesday evening’s Water Wag dinghy race at Dun Laoghaire for 40 minutes due to cruise ship tender activity in the harbour.

Donnelly set a three-round windward/leeward course in a stiff westerly breeze with squalls of up to 25 knots.

22 Wags started all with reefed mains. 20 boats finished in testing conditions while two retired.

A Cruise liner tender (right) and some of the Water Wag fleet at Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Ann Kirwan

Royal Irish's Guy & Jackie Kilroy in the Water Wag No. 38 Swift won from Royal St George's Seán and Heather Craig in No. 52 Puffin.

Royal Irish's Guy & Jackie Kilroy in the Water Wag No. 38 Swift

Royal St George's Seán and Heather Craig in Water Wag No. 52, Puffin

Results:

1. No. 38 Swift, Guy & Jackie Kilroy
2. No. 52 Puffin, Seán and Heather Craig
3. No. 6 Mary Kate, Ian McGowan and crew

DBSC Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly postponed Wednesday's (May 3) evening Water Wag dinghy race start hoping for the breeze to fill in at Dun Laoghaire harbour on Dublin Bay.

After a delay of 30 minutes, he got the 23-boat fleet away on a two-round windward/leeward race in a light, mainly southeasterly breeze.

The National Yacht Club's Cathy MacAleavey and Con Murphy sailing Mariposa (Number 45) were the race winners

DBSC Water Wag dinghy race (Wednesday, May 3) Results:

1. No. 45 Mariposa Cathy MacAleavey & Con Murphy
2. No. 42 Tortoise William & Laura Prentice
3. No. 38 Swift Guy & Jackie Kilroy

Full results below

Sean and Heather Craig's new Water Wag dinghy Puffin debuted with a second place in the first Wag race of the DBSC 2023 at Dun Laoghaire harbour on Wednesday evening.

Held in a cool southeasterly light to moderate breeze, Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly got the 20-boat fleet off on time for one windward/leeward race of four rounds.

The top 3 finishers in the 19-boat turnout were:

1. No. 38 Swift, Guy and Jackie Kilroy
2. No. 52 Puffin, Sean and Heather Craig
3. No. 42 Tortoise, William Prentice and Laura Prentice

Classic clinker-built wooden dinghies can mean a lot of maintenance work as they mature. Betty Armstrong's recent stories on Afloat.ie of restoration projects on some of the almost-forgotten 14ft Ballyholme Insects in the North, will have been an evocative reminder for many of the grim end-of-season discovery that it's going to be a busy winter if you're in the vintage clinker club, and wish to continue sailing a boat whose interior seems to be a complex mosaic of deterioration-attracting timber rectangles set under many ribs, all of which appear keen to join the rot rotation.

Thus it's little wonder that the advent of edge-glued rib-free clinker construction - as seen in the Rankin dinghies from Cobh - was regarded as a glimpse of the promised land. But barely had they started to make an impact before glassfibre appeared to take centre stage. Yet now classic fully-ribbed clinker-built dinghies - some of remarkable vintage - are on tops for a certain discerning cohort of sailors. And if you're vulgar enough to demand why they take an interest in such an arcane and not exactly inexpensive branch of sailing, the answer might well be the equally blunt: "Because I can".

Masterpiece in the making - an early stage in the creation of the two latest Dublin Bay Water Wags by Rui Ferreira in Ballydehob. Photo: Rui Ferreira

The hull shell is finished and awaiting the installation of ribs - many ribs....Photo: Rui Ferreira 

The rib-installation programme is well advanced, with painstaking attention to detail and a continuous policy of cleanliness. Photo: Rui Ferreira

SOOTHING ATMOSPHERE OF CLASSIC BOAT-BUILDING

But that said, there's something extraordinarily satisfying about witnessing a master craftsman restoring or new-building a clinker boat - particularly if you've ever tried doing it yourself, to learn from frustration just how difficult can be this skill which they seem to make almost easy. And the very aroma of a good wood workshop is reassuring in itself too, as it's bred into us. For once upon a time a very long time ago, an affinity for wood and working with it was an essential survival mechanism. If your remote potential ancestor took against wood for some weird personal reason, then there's no way they were going to thrive sufficiently to actually become your ancestor.

Rib programme is now complete, and the centreboard case has been installed, but there's still much work to be done. Photo: Rui Ferreira 

So today, when everyone needs something soothing to fortify them for the challenges of Cheltenham, the pace of Patricks Day, and the exquisite agony of anticipating the England rugby match followed by Mother's Day, we publish a calming image from Athlone, where Dougal McMahon is putting new ribs into the Alan & DJ Algeo's Shannon One Design wth a clean style that puts to shame anyone who has tried to short-cut by doubling-up on fractured timbers.

We also have images from Rui Ferreira in Ballydehob, where he has two new Water Wags for Dublin Bay under construction to such a standard that, really, they should be consigned straight to an up-market artworks auction. And finally, from Dun Laoghaire we have a photo of the multi-boat sailor Sean Craig's recently-acquired Water Wag, Brittany-built in 2022 by Skol Ar Mor's latest offshoot, a maritime and boat-building school in St Nazaire.

A good idea of the amount of work in fully finishing a Water Wag can be gleaned from this glimpse of Sean Craig's new Brittany-built boat. Photo: Sean Craig

Although women sailors have played an active role in the Dublin Bay Water Wags OD Dinghy Class since their foundation in 1887 as revealed in Afloat.ie recently until Gail Varian (RStGYC) was elected President at last night's AGM in the RIYC, the class has never been led by a woman President.

Perhaps they thought that the fact that the second version of the boats - introduced in 1900 - had been created by yacht designer Maimie Doyle covered options not available to other classes. But anyway, as of last night, they're now up to speed on all contemporary trends, and longtime Water Wag sailor Gail Varian brings a special enthusiasm to the role, as her interests in classic dinghies are such that she's also into the revival of the 1912-designed International 12s.

In one of the largest-ever class turnouts, 100 Water Wag Club members and their guests attended the 2022 season prizegiving dinner in the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Friday 10th, February.

Guests included the 2022 race management team of the DBSC Committee Boat Mac Lir (Harry Gallagher, Ann Kirwan, Brendan Briscoe, Ian Meldon and Hal Sisk) along with NYC Commodore Conor O’Regan.

The Water Wag, which was created in 1886 and formally recognised as a one-design class in Ireland in 1887, is the oldest one-design dinghy now in use and one of Ireland's most popular with summer racing from Dublin Bay's Dun Laoghaire harbour, typically attracting up to 30 boats for Wednesday night racing. The 2022 season had the largest entry – 39 boats with an average race turnout of 25. 

There were some 26 prizes winners of the Water Wags' historic perpetual trophies presented at the National Yacht Club Photo: Michael Chester

21 races were run on Wednesday evenings in Dun Laoghaire Harbour between 25th April and 21st September 2022.

The Jubilee Cup is the Club’s premier trophy and was presented by the founder of the Water Wags, Thomas Middleton, in 1897 (the year of Queen Victoria’s second Jubilee) and has the names of each year’s winning Water Wags and their crews going back to the start of the class in 1887.

Water Wag Class main prizes 2022

Water Wag Class Main prizes 2022

NYC Commodore Conor O’Regan (left) presents the Water Wags Jubilee Cup to Jackie and Guy Kilroy (centre) with Class Captain Con Murphy Photo: Michael Chester

Amy O’Leary (left) presents the Water Wag Hilpotsteiner Tankard to the Peggy crew of David Corcoran and Patricia Corcoran (centre) with Class Captain Con Murphy. The Corcorans also won the Snuff box for their Division 1B overall win Photo: Michael Chester

NYC Commodore Conor O’Regan presents the Water Wags Middleton Howitzer/ Book Regattas, Shannon Half Model and Coquette Cup to the Mariposa crew of Cathy MacAleavey and Con Murphy Photo: Michael Chester

NYC Commodore Conor O’Regan presents the Water Wags Cora Cup to the Chloe crew Amy and Kate O'Leary (centre) with the Wags Class Captain Con Murphy Photo: Michael Chester

Other 2022 main prizewinners were:

The Sprite Trophy (for the best boat over 80 years old) went to Moosmie, sailed by John O'Driscoll and Stephen Tierney (centre) with Water Wag Committee Member Zoe Kissane and Wag Class Captain Con Murphy Photo: Michael Chester

The Maureen Vase for Best all female crew went to Freddie sailed by Bairbre Stewart and Pam McKay (centre) with Water Wag Committee Member Zoe Kissane (left) and Wag Class Captain Con Murphy Photo: Michael Chester

The Donohoe Titanic Trophy for the most improved performance went to Mary Kate, sailed by Mike Magowan and Ian Magowan (centre) with Water Wag Committee Member Zoe Kissane and Wag Class Captain Con Murphy Photo: Michael Chester

The Simon Nolan Cup for the Water Wag Volunteer went to William Prentice (centre) with Water Wag Committee Member Zoe Kissane and Wag Class Captain Con Murphy Photo: Michael Chester

NYC Commodore Conor O’Regan (centre) presents the Derek Payne Trophy, Concours D'elegance, to the Water Wag Miss Scarlett crew of Heather and Sean Craig Photo: Michael Chester 

All boats were also presented with individual medals made by Cathy MacAleavey.

Download an excel file of the season prizewinners below

Water Wag Club 2022 Season Prizegiving Photo Gallery by Michael Chester

It could be argued that the progress of the Dublin Bay Water Wag Class has been unstoppable since its foundation in 1887 by Ben Middleton and his friends as the world’s first One-Design fleet. There may have been times in their unrivalled life-span when the future of these characterful little boats seemed thin enough, but such times have been forgotten, and now they thrive as never before.

The Wags have come in two manifestations. The first was a lug-rigged 13ft double-ender in 1887, while the second, a more robust 14ft 3ins transom-sterned boat to Maimie Doyle’s design with a gunter sloop rig, arrived in 1900. This second version clearly hit the spot, and though not all individual boats have stayed the course, the class’s fastidiously maintained registration system - which only allocates sail numbers to boats in full sailable condition – has been through the 50 mark for two seasons now, and will be increased by at least two more in 2023 with a couple of completely new boats under construction by master craftsman Rui Ferreira of Ballydehob in West Cork.

 Rui Ferreira with a previously-completed Water Wag awaiting the paint and varnish treatment

Rui is no stranger to Water Wag building to the highest international standards, but the pace in the class is such that having the newest boats will not necessarily bring success.

That said, the two new owner-skippers, who prefer to remain anonymous at this stage, come with impressive track records. And in keeping with the Class’s gender-blindness – part of its DNA since its foundation – one of the new owners is female, while the other is one of the others.

The Ferreira workshop is tidied, and the setup is in place for a new Water Wag to start taking shape

The skeletons of two new Water Wags begin to emerge

The original Water Wag builders of 122 years ago did not have the benefit of today’s lamination techniques for building the stem, but now it greatly enhances the finished boat

The DBSC Water Wag dinghy fleet raced their last race of the season on Wednesday for the Candlelight Trophy at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly set a course of three rounds, four beats in winds of eight-ten knots from 200 degrees.

The race start was delayed by 20 minutes until the visiting cruise ship tendering at the harbour finished.

24 boats started, including a visiting boat, the last wag built; No. 52 Miss Scarlett was constructed in France earlier this year.

Tim Pearson in Little Tern number 36 takes third place in the Water Wag Candelight Trophy at the finish line buoy from number 38, Guy Kilroy in Swift Photo: Ann Kirwan

The race was won by number 15, Moosmie sailed by John O'Driscoll, Second was Mariposa, number 45, Cathy Mac Aleavey. The third was number 36; Little Tern sailed by Tim Pearson.

Results are below