After some late April cancellations, Tuesday night AIB-sponsored Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) dinghy sailing is off to a gentle start in May with some good turnouts across ILCA 6 and 7, Fireball, IDRA 14, PY and a DBSC debutante Melges 15 class. Four races have been sailed with three to count after discard with Royal St. George boats on top in several of the competing classes. 

Frank Miller, sailing IRL 14915 Ballderdash from the DMYC, leads a six-boat Fireball class in the Tuesday night AIB sponsored Dublin Bay Sailing Club dinghy sailing Photo: Afloat

Miller leads Fireballs

Frank Miller, sailing IRL 14915 Ballderdash from the DMYC, leads a six-boat Fireball class by four points from Louise McKenna's Pink Fire on 7. Third, on tie break is another lady helm Cariosa Power of the DMYC on seven.

O'Beirne has three-point margin in ILCA 6

Royal St. George's Judy O'Beirne, on six points, leads a 16-boat ILCA 6 class from clubmate Mary Chambers on nine. Michael Norman of the Irish National Sailing Club is lying third on ten. O'Beirne finished second last weekend at the ILCA 6 Masters Championships at Howth Yacht Club.

The Melges 15 class are enjoying a debut season in the Tuesday night AIB-sponsored Dublin Bay Sailing Club dinghy racing Photo: Afloat

Flying Tiger is three points clear in Melges 15s

Class promoter John Sheehy leads the way in a seven-boat Melges 15 class that makes its DBSC debut in 2024. In a clean sweep so far for the Royal St. George Yacht Club, Sheehy's Flying Tiger (No 564) has two race wins to put him three points clear of Theo Lyttle's Surf Baby (566) on seven. Lying third is David Williams (637) on eight.

There is an 11-boat ILCA 7 fleet competing in Tuesday night AIB sponsored Dublin Bay Sailing Club dinghy sailing Photo: Michael Chester

Cowman on top in ILCA 7

In another top three for the Royal St. George in the ILCA 7s, Niall Cowman, on five points, leads Gavan Murphy on eight in an 11-boat fleet. Ross O'Leary is lying third on 11.

Aeros are PY Class winners

The National Yacht Club's Noel Butler in an RS Aero, Orion is clear at the top of the DBSC PY scoreboard on three points from clubmate Damien Dion on 8.5 in another Aero. Third is Brian Sweeney's Royal St. George Dutch Gold.

Dart leads three IDRA 14s

Pierre Long, sailing number 1612 Dart, leads a three-boat IDRA 14 class (all from the DMYC) but is tied on points after four races sailed with Frank Hamilton sailing number 140, Dart.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's third AIB Saturday race of the 2024 season was sailed on May 11th in light to medium south-easterly winds on a hazy Dublin Bay.

No results were posted in IRC Zero, as the first ISORA Cross-channel race of the season took a number of regular boats away from the bay in the race to Pwhelli in North Wales.

In a nine-boat turnout, J109s took the top two places in IRC One with Richard and Tim Goodbody's White Mischief of the Royal Irish Yacht Club finished in 1 hour 28 minutes and 03 seconds from Brian Hall's National Yacht Club (NYC) Something Else just 16 seconds behind on corrected time.

Colin Byrne's XP33 Bon Exemple, of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, was 11 seconds further back in third place.

Overall, the Goodbodys lead Hall in the Saturday Series by two points.

In Cruisers Two IRC, the Sigma 33 Moonshine skippered by David O'Flynn of the Royal St. George was the winner from clubmate Lindsay Casey's J97 Windjammer. Third in the five-boat turnout was Jim McCann's Royal Irish Mustang 30 Peridot. 

In a two-boat IRC Three race, Edward Melvin's Sonata One Design, Ceol na Mara of the National Yacht Club beat Myles Kelly's Senator 22 Maranda of the DMYC by 33 seconds on corrected time.

In Class 5a (White Sails), Johnnie Phillips's Elan 333 Playtime won the ECHO handicap race from Colin O'Brien's Jeanneau 39DS, Spirit. Third was Peter Richardson's Dehler 36 Deliverance.

In the one-design fleets, under Race Officer Jim Dolan, Garavogue won from Geraldine in a three-boat Dublin Bay 21 race. 

Overall leader, NYC's David Gorman, was second in the first race and third in the 18-boat Flying Fifteen races to be on nine points and Ken Dumpleton in second on 20. Third overall is Neil Colin on 23.

In a three-boat scratch race for the Beneteau 31.7s, Christ Johnston's Prospect won from Brian Geraghty's Camira.  Michael & Bernie Bryson's Bluefin Two retired.

In the seven-boat B211s scratch division, Jimmy Fischer's Billy Whizz beat overall leader Joe Smyth's Yikes. Third was DBSC Vice-Commodore Jacqueline McStay in Small Wonder from the Royal Irish Yacht Club. 

Results in all classes are detailed below.

Summer racing continues on Dublin Bay next Tuesday.

After last week's cancellation, Dublin Bay Sailing Club's third AIB Thursday evening race of the 2024 season was another gentle affair in light southerly winds where results were marred by plenty of retirals.

On the North Bay race course, in division zero, there was only one finisher, the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) JPK 10.80 champion Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins) with clubmates Sean Lemass's First 40, Prima Forte, Kyran McStay's X-Yacht D-Tox and Royal St. George Yacht Club's Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia all retiring.

In a ten-boat IRC One turnout, Barry Cunningham's J109 Chimaera took the gun in a corrected time of 1 hour 44 minutes and 31 seconds from clubmate Philip Byrne's XP33 on 1:46:41 corrected. Unfortunately, the rest of the fleet either retired or did not finish. Overall this means Byrne's X-yacht now leads from Cunningham's J-boat in DBSC's hottest cruiser division.

There were no finishers In Cruisers Two IRC or Cruisers Three IRC or IRC Five, but RIYC's Rodney and Sally Martin Sun Odyssey 32 Gemini managed the only finish in Cruisers 4B. 

A long last leg on a failing wind and building tide spelt the end for many competing boats.

There were some one-design class finishes on the Scotsman's Bay race area, with Philip Lawton's Puffling winning from Neil Colin's FFuzzy. Alastair Court's ffinisterre was third in a 14-boat turnout for the  Flying Fifteen classes where five of the local fleet are competing at the European Championships in France.

National Champion Michael O'Connor of the Royal St. George was the 7-boat SB20 winner from Richard Hayes in Carpe Diem. Third was Grzegorz Kalinecki's SportChip.ie 

Dublin Bay 21s Tuesday Racing Gets Underway

After several cancellations, the first DBSC Tuesday race for the Twentyones took place on May 7th. Nineteen crew members and all four boats took part. The lighter winds facilitated a lovely sailing experience for the newcomers to the fleet. Geraldine won from Estelle. Garavogue was third, with Naneen in fourth.

Dublin Bay 21 Garavogue pictured on Tuesday (May 7th) in a light airs DBSC race Photo: Gary O'Sullivan

Summer racing continues on Dublin Bay with DBSC Saturday racing in the club's 140th season this weekend and also the first ISORA Irish cross-channel race of the season on Saturday morning at 8 am with a bumper 21-boat fleet in prospect.

Results in all classes below

Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly, aboard the committee boat 'Spirit of the Irish', set a three-round windward/leeward course in a 10-knot southwesterly breeze for the third Water Wag race of the AIB/DBSC 2024 season.

The 23-boat fleet’s start was postponed due to a 40-degree wind shift. The start line was relaid, and the course was adjusted before the starting sequence got underway. A number of boats were OCS, and the next start got away under the U flag with boats all clear.

The wind dropped to 3 knots on the last round, and the final downwind leg was slow. Judy and Grace O’Beirne sailing Shindilla had a good lead at the leeward gate before the final windward leg when Sean and Heather Craig sailing Puffin split tacks and benefitted from a better breeze on the beat finally taking the lead by a small margin.

Seán & Heather Craig sail No. 52 Puffin to a win by a small margin from No. 19 Shindilla, Judy & Grace O’Beirne in Wednesday night's Water Wag AIB/DBSC race at Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Ann Kirwan

Top 3 results were:

1. No. 52 Puffin, Seán & Heather Craig
2. No. 19 Shindilla, Judy & Grace O’Beirne
3. No. 42 William Prentice and crew

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's second AIB Saturday race of the 2024 season was sailed on May 4th in medium westerly winds on an overcast Dublin Bay.

Sean Lemass's First 40 Prima Forte won from Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia in IRC Zero in a one-and-a-half-hour race.

In a six-boat turnout, J109s took the top three places in IRC One with Brian Hall's National Yacht Club (NYC) Something Else taking the gun in a one-and-a-half-hour race by a winning margin of one minute on corrected time. 

Tim Goodbody's White Mischief finished in 1 hour 29 minutes and 43 seconds to take second place. Barry Cunningham's J109 Chimaera, both of the Royal Irish Yacht Club was thirty seconds further back in third place.

Overall, the Goodbody's lead Brian Hall from Barry Cunningham. The Race Officer was Barry MacNeaney. 

In Cruisers Two IRC, Lindsay Casey's  Royal St. George J97 Windjammer topped a three-boat turnout with Jim McCann's Royal Irish Mustang 30 Peridot in second. Third was the Sigma 33 Moonshine skippered by David O'Flynn of the Royal St. George.

In a two-boat IRC Three race, Edward Melvin's Sonata One Design, Ceol na Mara of the National Yacht Club beat Myles Kelly's Senator 22 of the DMYC by almost two minutes on corrected time.

In Class 5a (White Sails), Tim Costello's Bavaria 35 Just Jasmin was the ECHO handicap winner from Charles Broadhead's Sigma 38, Persistence. Third was Peter Richarson's Dehler 36 Deliverance.

In the one-design fleets, under Race Officer Jim Dolan, Estelle won from Geraldine in a three-boat Dublin Bay 21 race. The restored vintage fleet recently announced its 2024 racing programme in a new class website.

Overall leader, NYC's David Gorman, was second in the first race but won the second in the 14-boat Flying Fifteen races under Race Officer Declan Traynor.

In the seven-boat B211s scratch division, Joe Smyth's Yikes won from Jacqueline McStay's Small Wonder from the Royal Irish Yacht Club. Third was Pat Shannon's B211 Beeswing.

Results in all classes are detailed below.

Summer racing continues on Dublin Bay next Tuesday.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's (DBSC) Thursday evening racing was cancelled tonight due to very light winds.

Winds measuring just over one knot meant the second Thursday race of the 2024 AIB summer season was scrubbed in all classes at Dun Laoghaire.

There were ideal conditions for Dublin Bay Sailing Club's first AIB Saturday race of the 2024 season, on April 25th, in medium north-easterly winds and a classic Dublin Bay chop.

In a ten-boat turnout, J109s took the top three places in IRC One with Tim Goodbody's White Mischief having a ten-second lead on corrected time over second-placed Barry Cunningham's J109 Chimaera, both of the Royal Irish Yacht Club. Third was John Hall's National Yacht Club (NYC) Something Else.

In Cruisers Two IRC, the J97 Windjammer topped a four-boat turnout with the Royal St. George Mustang 30 Peridot in second. Third was the new National Yacht Club Blacksheep (William Despard).

In the one-design fleets, NYC's David Gorman was the winner of both Flying Fifteen races from Alan Green in an 18-boat fleet.

In the seven-boat B211s scratch division, Pat Shannon's Beeswing won from Joe Smyth's Yikes. Third was Ian Bell's Ocean Venture.

Results in all classes below

Summer racing continues on Dublin Bay with Sunday's ISORA 28-mile race from Dun Laoghaire at 11 am.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's first AIB Thursday evening race of the 2024 season on April 25th got off to a gentle start as light easterly winds died away and led to the abandonment of racing in many classes.

However, the bigger cruiser classes, in divisions Zero, One, and Two, all completed racing with Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) entries, taking all but one of the podium places in Zero and One.

ISORA champion Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI from the RIYC took the gun in Cruisers Zero IRC from clubmate Sean Lemass's First 40 Prima Forte. In third was Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia of the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

Some of the cruiser class racing becalmed in Scotsman's Bay in the first AIB DBSC Thursday night race of 2024 Photo: Afloat

In a ten-boat turnout, Philip Byrne's XP33 from the RIYC won from clubmate and multiple J109 Irish champion John Maybury in Joker II. In a one, two, three for the RIYC, Barry Cunningham's J109 Chimaera took third.

In Cruisers Two, the Sigma 33 Boojum (Stephanie Bourke) of the Royal St. George Yacht Club was the IRC winner from clubmate Paul Keelan's HB31 Hazy Blues. Third in the six-boat fleet was Leslie Parnell's First 34.7 Black Velvet from the RIYC.

There were some one-design class finishes, with Michael Bryon's Bluefin Two of the National Yacht Club (NYC) winning the first 2024 victory in the 31.7 class. Shane McCarthy, also of the NYC, was the Flying Fifteen race winner.

Summer racing continues on Dublin Bay with the first DBSC Saturday race of the club's 140th season this weekend and a Viking Marine ISORA Irish coastal race on Sunday. 

Results in all classes below

The first Water Wag race of the AIB/DBSC 2024 season was held in a chilly six-eight knot steady south-easterly breeze in Dun Laoghaire harbour. Twenty-two boats participated.

Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly, aboard the Royal Irish Yacht Club committee boat 'Spirit of the Irish', set a three-round windward-leeward course with a fourth beat to finish at the weather mark.

Top three finishers were:

1. No. 52 Puffin, Seán and Heather Craig
2. No. 19 Shindilla, Judy O’Beirne and Grace O’Beirne
3. No. 3 Pansy, Vincent Delaney and Emma Webb

Not content to bask in its 140th-anniversary glory, Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) will experiment with using the latest yacht race technology this season to deliver the largest racing programme in Ireland.

DBSC Commodore and Race Officer Ed Totterdell, who has used these marks in the USA and elsewhere, believes that while the technology is new and the logistics need to be examined, DBSC should take the lead and trial what could be a big step forward in mark laying.

The marks were successfully deployed at the weekend for the inaugural Irish Sailing League, also held on Dublin Bay.

“Having met several clubs and ROs during the winter, I set up a meeting where all could come together and discuss the options for events and clubs to consider using robotic marks in 2024. As a result of these meetings, Kenny Rumball has organised a low-cost trial rental for 6-8 weeks, which will involve clubs across Dublin Bay and potentially further afield to see if they would benefit from using them.

Robotic marks will make adjustments to DBSC start and finish lines possible Photo: Afloat

"In DBSC, forty minutes is an eternity when hoping that the line stays square, given the vagaries of Dublin Bay wind. We also need a 300-metre start line for Cruisers One division, but this is reduced to 150 metres for some smaller classes", Totterdell explains.

"Using our standard marks, making adjustments to the line is not an option once the sequence has started for the first class. Shock waves will now reverberate as the line swiftly moves up/down or in and out!", he says.

"Having used these marks most recently in Kenny Rumball’s hugely successful Irish Sailing League last weekend I am really excited to start the trial, which I intend to do on our first Thursday race of 2024," Totterdell said.

"After the trial, we will be better placed to judge whether the cost and logistics would justify making these marks a permanent feature for future seasons, ” he added.

In addition, DBSC has also unveiled a new chart of marks for 2024, as Afloat reports here.

MarineSevices.ie are Irish agents for the robotic marks and can supply/rent the buoys for use around Ireland.