Mark Mansfield on Sailing

A yacht with both a sprit and a pole of the same length

Spinnaker Pole/Sprit Lengths & Flying Jibs Are the Main IRC Changes for 2021

1st December 2020 Mark Mansfield on Sailing

IRC specialist and Olympic helmsman Mark Mansfield analyses the rating rule changes agreed for next season. Following the IRC Congress earlier this month, chaired by Ireland's Michael Boyd, changes were agreed for the 2021 season. The two main areas of change deal…

IRC yachts start a race on Dublin Bay, Ireland's largest sailing centre is among the many harbours where racing has been heavily curtailed by COVID-19

How Will COVID-19 Affect Yacht Racing in 2021?

30th October 2020 Mark Mansfield on Sailing

Four-time Olympic keelboat helmsman Mark Mansfield, a regular competitor at Irish IRC and one-design regattas and Irish agent for some well-known sailing brands, reviews how the 2020 sailing season 'happened' in pandemic and considers what could be done to keep the…

Cian McCarthy's Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl from Kinsale (with article author Mark Mansfield pictured second from right) at the start of the Fastnet 450 Race

Offshore Sailing—Is this the New "Go To" for 2021?

31st August 2020 Mark Mansfield on Sailing

Mark Mansfield, Olympian and Professional sailor and a member of this year's Fastnet 450 Race organising committee reckons lessons learned in this COVID-hit 2020 sailing season means there can still be good compliant big boat racing even in these strange…

Cruiser racing on Dublin Bay in 2019 in a Class Zero yacht (40-foot and above)

How Can Keelboat Racing Work with Social Distancing?

12th May 2020 Mark Mansfield on Sailing

Olympic helmsman, professional sailor and coach Mark Mansfield takes a look at how it may be possible to return to keelboat racing while maintaining social distance onboard. The latest Government five-phase programme appears to allow the reinstatement of boating and…

Read Mark Mansfield's pick of the top race yachts on the market next season below

Top Yachts 2020: Olympic Sailor Picks 15 Race Boats from 30-50 Feet

8th October 2019 Mark Mansfield on Sailing

Olympian and Sailing Coach Mark Mansfield runs through the options available for an owner looking to buy a new boat for racing in the 30 to 50-foot range and picks his top 15 from the market Having sailed in numerous…

A clean Class One start at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta under International Race Officer Bill O'Hara from Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough. As well as being an Olympic sailor himself, O'Hara has officiated at the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games

Olympic Sailor Offers Ten Top Tips for Race Officers

19th September 2019 Mark Mansfield on Sailing

Olympic helmsman Mark Mansfield, who is now a sailing coach, provides some sailor-focused thoughts for Race Officers Over the past few years, I have been competing in various sailing events throughout Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA. Very often…

There's a great line up of 2020 IRC sailing fixtures already lined up

What Are The Big Irish Sailing Fixtures for IRC Cruisers in 2020?

2nd September 2019 Mark Mansfield on Sailing

Irish Olympic helmsman Mark Mansfield picks his big (and smaller) events coming up for the Irish cruiser classes in 2020 The 2019 season is only just coming towards its end and already owners and crew are looking ahead at what…

Scottish Series fleets were generally small in the IRC classes, except the RC35 class

Scottish Series Was an Important Warm Up for Sailing Season Ahead

2nd June 2019 Scottish Series

Cork Harbour Olympic helmsman and Sailing Professional Mark Mansfield competed in May's Scottish Series and gives his views on the fleet at Tarbert. I raced as tactician on Stuart Cranston's new acquisition, The Ker 32, Hijacker from Strangford Lough. This boat was previously Checkmate which…