Along the Atlantic seaboard and up in the hills, they call them high stool days. Such days are with us when the weather is so thrawn that a particularly harsh period is best spent in agreeable indoor surroundings, with good company if you so wish. Yet although the early part of the current season has at times had more than its fair share of less-than-perfect sailing conditions, every so often there have been days - usually one but sometimes two – when everything has been in alignment, providing blissful sailing and the vivid memories that will dominate the recollections of this developing summer.

For the word from some Met sources is that we may be about to experience the reverse of last year’s conditions. In 2023, late May and the first three weeks of June were good weatherwise, but as June drew to a close, the shutters came down and there were only the briefest spells of decent weather until something more normal returned in September.

GOOD WEATHER CAN BE MIXED BLESSING

Now, however, we hear that some meteorological models are indicating that it will continue unsettled for another couple of weeks, but then it will start to get better. Which may seem fine and dandy, but it can mean that evening racing in particular often peters out in a warm calm. And with the time-honoured evening racing programmes a backbone of our club sailing world, good weather can become a mixed blessing.

BUSY NEWS FROM CROSSHAVEN

Nevertheless at the moment the news is good and there’s an upbeat attitude, with the Royal Cork YC notably reporting a surge in their Thursday evening cruiser-racer fleets at Crosshaven, while they’ve a high quality and varied entry in place for Volvo Cork Week in five weeks’ time.

Making the best of one of 2024’s good weekend evenings – Sally O’Keeffe being a West Cork towel sail yawl in North Harbour, Cape Clear. Photo: James Devane

Meanwhile as Spring unevenly becomes early Summer, while difficult weather meant we had the shortening of Kinsale YC’s Inistearaght Race to take the turn at the dentally-challenged Bull Rock instead, and an ISORA Race was blown out altogether, nevertheless the points are a-building for those local classes enthusiastic enough to get their sailing going when late Spring had seemed determined to stay in mid-winter.

Among such challenging gaps, there were some wonderfully clear periods, and there was one of them for the delivery cruise of the little 25ft Shannon Hooker Sally O’Keeffe from Kilrush to Baltimore on May 18th, well in time for the Wooden Boat Festival there in the last weekend of May.

Sally O’Keeffe voyages from the Shannon to Baltimore

BALTIMORE WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL

One of the highlights of that gathering was the talk by Cormac Levis of Ballydehob about The Richard. Cormac Levis is a one-man knowledge repository and ideas machine for the benefit of traditional and classic boats in West Cork, and he gave an excellent outline of why The Richard was so important.

The Richard in her prime, on Regatta Day at Sherkin

When she was built in 1948 by Paddy Hegarty at Oldcourt on the Ilen River, her construction brought a new direction and location for a craft industry which continues today with Paddy’s grandson Liam. The recent output includes the Conor O'Brien phase ignited by Gary MacMahon with the restoration of the 56ft trading ketch Ilen of 1926 vintage, and the building for Fred Kinmonth of the new Saoirse, replicating the 42ft ketch which was in process of circling the world south of the great Capes exactly a century ago.

DERMOT KENNEDY’S ASGARD II VISION

The Richard was a working ketch whose best-known period was under the ownership of Dermot Kennedy of Baltimore, whose visions for Irish sailing were such that the ideas he enunciated for the new Irish sail training ship Asgard II way back in 1972 were seen to have been almost exactly implemented when she was finally sailing in 1981.

This powerful vision was clarified in various discussions during a cruise-in-company around Carbery’s islands for a lengthy visit to Cape Clear and then a wedding on Sherkin, with Dermot and the usual eclectic selection of friends and shipmates on The Richard showing what could be done with a squaresail in confined harbour manoeuvring, while we were on a spot of family cruising with the Galion 22 Ringhaddy, one of the cleverest and most gallant little boats of her day, and still a good ’un.

THE RICHARD DISAPPEARS TO THE AZORES

In Dermot’s ownership, The Richard was cruised extensively, and then he sold her in the late 1980s to a man who got as far as the Azores, but then seems to have run out of energy and resources. Thus when Liam Hegarty went to the islands in 1994 on family duty in search of this pioneering vessel which had started the contemporary Oldcourt story, it emerged that the island authorities had lost patience with an abandoned ship encumbered with unpaid bills, and all traces of The Richard had disappeared.

The Galion 22 Ringhaddy and the ketch Richard “slightly dried out” at North Harbour, Cape Clear, July 1972. Photo: W M Nixon

Doing it in style – Dermot Kennedy brings The Richard into North Harbour under the square topsail. Photo: W M Nixon

Knowing just when to strike the topsail is crucial when running under sail only into a confined space like North Harbour. Photo: W M Nixon

Work time. Dermot Kennedy using the island phone on Cape Clear to keep tabs on his West Cork business empire while cruising the islands in The Richard. Photo: W M Nixon

Off to the island wedding – Dermot Kennedy (second right) setting the pace on Sherkin, with the Richard anchored in the cove. Photo: W M Nixon

An island wedding on Sherkin can attract a global attendance. Photo: W M Nixon

The happy bride on Sherkin

Back in July 1972, the island wedding on Sherkin was recorded on film by the late Eamonn de Buitlear from atop a farm cart, with an assistant to hold the camera tripod in place. Photo: W M Nixon

Close quarter sailing with The Richard through the sounds of Carberry’s Hundred Isles, Dermot Kennedy in profile just forward of the mizzen mast. Photo: W M Nixon

Aboard The Richard in a breeze, with Georgina Campbell on the helm. The lacing on the mizzen luff was always Work in Progress. Photo: W M Nixon

The Richard coming through the northwest entrance to Baltimore Harbour in July 1972. Once upon a time. we’d have said this was a sight we’ll never see again. But after the re-creation of Conor O'Brien’s Saoirse, surely all things are possible?

FASTNET ROCK AND NORTH HARBOUR CAPE CLEAR

But the effects of her building lives on in other boats, and while Sally O’Keeffe’s design is developed from Shannon traditions, she shows the same robust transom-stern hull concept. Then when she used last weekend’s superb weather (particularly on Saturday) to circle the Fastnet (getting our magic header pic) and have an overnight at North Harbour on Cape Clear, the Seol Sionna crew set up a tent arrangement over her open cockpit to emulate the local tradition of mackerel-fishing towel-sail yawls, where “towel” is an adaptation of the Irish word for shelter, and not an eccentric use of bathroom fabrics.

Intense summer for GP14 Leinsters at Howth, with serial championship winner Sean Craig (Royal St George YC) adding another notch to his belt. Photo: HYC

NEW MELGES 15 FLEET AT HOWTH

Meanwhile on the other side of Ireland, last weekend’s marvellous weather provided ideal condition for an historic time at Howth. There, having only just recovered from staging the three-day Wave Regatta, they hosted the GP 14 Leinsters with serial boat championship winner Sean Craig of Dun Laoghaire taking the honours (it’s easier now to list the classes in which he hasn’t won), while at the same time as Howth Yacht Club’s new fleet of fifteen Melges 15s arrived ready to be unwrapped in a successful initiative steered by Cormac Farrelly.

OFFSHORE ACTION

With ISORA, this weekend sees a classic – the Holyhead-Rockabill-Dun Laoghaire. However, last season’s champion, Paul O’Higgins JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC), had been sitting it out in much of the offshore stuff this year (though she’s now entry Number 53 in the Round Ireland in two weeks time) but powerfully demonstrated his commitment to the inshore scene with a win in DBSC on Thursday, and doubtless after the Round Ireland she’ll catch breath and then spread her wings with Volvo Cork Week in July and Calves Week at Schull in August.

Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 ROckabill VI is Entry 53 in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland race 2024 in a fortnight’s time. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

GETTING THE FLEET TO CORK

To get the fleets south and west, ISORA are committed to full support of the Kingstown to Queenstown Race on July 12th, which is anachronistically named in this style as that’s the way it was first sailed way back in 1860.Thus it’s one of the oldest passage races in the world, and was sailed from Dublin Bay to Cork Harbour three times in the 1860s.

THE BIG ONE ON JUNE 22nd

Before the K2Q, there is the big one, the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race (now with 58 entries) from Wicklow on June 22nd. Our focus will be almost totally zooming in on that through the next two weeks, but its start just happens to be plumb in the middle of the weekend when some weather gurus say the real summer is going to arrive. This will be viewed with mixed feelings by the old hands, as they know only too well that good weather and light winds along the Atlantic coasts make for excruciatingly slow progress.

THE WORD ON THE WATERFRONT

The word on the waterfront among the old salts who have raced the ocean coasts in winds strong and light is that even in strong winds with the boat zipping along, the coastal scenery (if you can see it) is on such a majestic scale that you scarcely seem to be moving. So in light airs you have to be instrument-glued to believe you’re moving at all.

BERMUDA RACE GETS WARMER ALL THE TIME

This is one of the challenges of racing around a land-mass, whereas a true ocean race puts the focus on the boat without such distractions. Ironically the day, before the Round Ireland, across the pond the 636 mile CCA/RBYC Newport-Bermuda Race gets going on Friday June 21st, and it very quickly puts the fleet out of sight of land as they set off across the Gulf Stream in search of the elusive Onion Patch.

A gas man - Kenny read getting in the sprit of things at the Volvo World Race stopover in Galway in 2012. On Friday June 21st he’ll be leading the commentary team for the new spectator-friendly start of the biennial Newport-Bermuda Race. Photo: VWR

Those who have thought the biennial Bermuda Race was always 635 miles are quite right, but this year – partly inspired by the in-harbour start of the Sydney-Hobart - they’ve added an extra mile to start in Newport Harbor at Fort Adams for spectator interest, and with Kenny Read on the commentary team, there’ll be meaningful general spectator interest for the first time.

For decades, the start of the Newport-Bermuda Race was immediately seaward of Newport, Rhode Island’s natural harbour, and every mile sailed took the fleet south towards warmer waters Photo: CCA/Daniel Forster

The Royal Bermuda YC marina with the Newport-Bermuda fleet in port, basking in sub-tropical conditions. Photo: CCA

But the USP of the Bermuda Race continues to be the fact that it gets into warmer climes every mile of the way. The Fastnet Race and the Round Ireland both involve significant distances sailing in higher latitudes than their starting line. And the Sydney-Hobart is pure murder, as you’re bashing along towards Antarctica every inch of the way. But the Bermuda Race starts in the agreeable summer weather of New England at Rhode Island, and concludes in the sub-tropical climate of Bermuda.

Thus one of the challenges – every bit as demanding as your racing sails selection – is hitting on the right cut and length for your essential-for-cooling Bermuda shorts. An experience - now some years ago admittedly – of staying in the New York Yacht Club discovered that they expect you to wear a necktie for breakfast, (plus of course jacket, shirt, trousers and shoes, though one member assured us socks were optional).

It takes confidence to wear Breton red Bermuda shorts with style, but after winning the top trophies in the Newport-Bermuda Race 2022 with the Pac 52 Warrior Won, owner Chris Sheehan (centre) is on target. Photo: CCA

The Irish response, when eligible, is to wear the Royal Cork YC tie, as the Royal Cork’s ancestral Water Club was founded 124 years before the NYYC came into being in 1844. But any links to the Royal Cork are of little use in hitting the right note with your Bermuda shorts in the Royal Bermuda YC, so naturally we got to thinking: What would Captain Thomas Fleming Day have done?

Thomas Fleming Day’s 38ft Tamerlane, winner of the first Bermuda Race in 1906, when the general opinion in the sailing establishment was that you need a boat at least 80ft long to race confidently to Bermuda from the New England coast.

But any formal photos of the Editor of The Rudder magazine, who was the key figure in staging the first Bermuda Race from the US in 1906 (with the gallant support of the Royal Bermuda YC), tend to show a serious person for whom such trivia as the details of menswear would have been of little interest.

But Thomas Fleming Day merits more study. The name seems pure American WASP (though “Day” might have Irish origins way back), yet he was born in the rather non-nautical shire of Somerset in England in 1861, but his formative years were spent on the shores of Long Island Sound as his parents emigrated to America whole he was a young boy.

So he became ultra-American - and boat-bonkers with it - throughout his 66 years which ended when he died in Harlem in New York in 1927. He was opinionated and drew the attention of supporters and opponents with equal zeal, but the usual formal photos of the era make it difficult to imagine an easy-going interest in male attire.

ONE COOL DUDE

But then we stumbled on this unusually informal pic of Tom Fleming Day in relaxed mode on a beach. It’s astonishing for the time. This is one cool dude. He could wear anything with style. But his Breton-red Bermuda shorts would inevitably be well weathered to a very pale pink shade. And they would be strangers to a Corby hosenbugler.

One cool dude. Thomas Fleming Day defied the expectations of his time afloat and ashore

The Leinster Championship for the GP14 fleet held at Howth Yacht Club on the June Bank Holiday weekend attracted a strong turnout, demonstrating the growing depth of talent in the mainstay Irish dinghy class. 

A fleet of 34 boats gathered for the third event of the 2024 calendar. As Afloat previously reported, predictions favoured Ross Kearney and Daniel Nelson (Royal North of Ireland YC), Sean Craig and Stephen Boyle (Royal St George & Sutton), and Colman Grimes and Ross Gingles (Skerries and Derwent Reservoir) to excel in the Leinster Championship.

However, the increasing competitiveness within the fleet is making predictions more challenging. The standout feature of the GP14 fleet is the emergence of home-grown talent, with elite sailors joining the races to test their skills. Among those drawn to the class at Howth were the world 13th-ranked ILCA 7 sailor Ewan McMahon, along with his father Jim, Howth's Diana Kissane and Graham Curran, and Monkstown Bay's Chris Bateman, now a familiar face on the GP14 circuit.

Noteworthy home-grown talent includes David Evans and William Draper, who continue to lead the charge for many youth teams impressing this season.

The PRO Scorie Walls accommodated gate starts for the event, enabling the fleet to prepare for the upcoming World Championship in August. Many of the fleet had never experienced gate starts, and for some, the honour of being pathfinder, on the back of 5th place in a prior race, also came with some trepidation.

Notably, the two-day event saw six different race winners across the two days of racing. Saturday featured a reasonably steady northerly breeze, warmed by a high-pressure system that brought hazy but clear skies. With Alan Blay & Hugh McNally as pathfinder, the first race win went to Class stalwarts John & Donal McGuiness (Moville BC). Race 2 with Chris Bateman & Kate Neville as pathfinders saw Hugh Gill & Richard Street (Sutton Dinghy Club and Blessington SC) take the honours from Sligo YCs David Evans & William Draper. Taking 5th in Race 2 meant Diana Kissane & Graham Curran were pathfinder for Race 3 and the Howth’s pairing found their footing to take the race win, leading from start to finish.

Race one winners at the GP14 Leinster Champions at Howth Yacht Club was John and Donal (not pictured) McGuinness Photo: Karolina Badzmierowska

Race two winners at the GP14 Leinster Champions at Howth Yacht Club were Hugh Gill and Richard Street Photo: Karolina Badzmierowska

Race three winners at the GP14 Leinster Champions at Howth Yacht Club were Diane Kissane & Graham Curran  Photo: Karolina Badzmierowska

Race four winners at the GP14 Leinster Champions at Howth Yacht Club were Colman Grimes and Ross Gingles Photo: Karolina Badzmierowska

Race five winners at the GP14 Leinster Champions at Howth Yacht Club were Michael Collender & Brian Walker Photo: Karolina Badzmierowska

Race six winners and runners-up at the GP14 Leinster Champions at Howth Yacht Club were Ross Kearney & David Nelson Photo: Karolina Badzmierowska

GP14 Ireland President Andy Johnston in Howth for the Leinster Championships

The emerging youth stars of the season David Evans & William Draper took 5th to be pathfinder for Race 4 with Colman Grimes of Skerries SC and Ross Gingles of Derwent Reservoir taking victory and becoming the overnight leaders despite holding a 10-point discard among their scores.

The championship remained open to six pairings overnight, with Sean Craig & Stephen Boyle holding the best discard and gross score, closely followed by Ross Kearney & Daniel Nelson, then Colman Grimes & Ross Gingles with Diana Kissane & Graham Curran, David Evans & William Draper and Hugh Gill & Richard Street still capable of pushing for podium spots. But would there be sufficient wind to complete the schedule on Sunday?

Sunday’s race course was met with a lighter north-westerly breeze, which, combined with the land heating, created bands of calm and pressure and an ebbing tide. After an initial postponement to let the wind fill, PRO Score Walls managed to get the fleet away, with Blessingtons Sam Street & Josh Lloyd pathfinding in 5 knot breeze. The race saw light, tricky conditions with the event leaders covering each other with Michael Collender and Brian Walker of Mullingar SC storming up from the bronze fleet to grab the first race win of the day ahead of Alan Blay and Chris Bateman in 3rd.

The top three in the overall rankings fared poorly in this race, likely making it a discard for all of them. Sean Craig and Stephen Boyle received 13 points over Ross Kearney and Daniel Nelson’s 16 and Colman Grimes and Ross Gingles' 17.

For Race 6, the PRO Scorie Walls’ job was made easier with a sea breeze steadily setting in from an easterly direction. Ross Kearney & Daniel Nelson read the course well and secured their first race win of the event, but not before having to battle David Evans & William Draper, who led at the top mark from Curly Morris & Rachel Stewart, the pathfinder for the last race. For a moment on the water, the RNIYC pair were virtual fleet leaders, but there was still time for changes.

Sean Craig & Stephen Boyle, lying 5th behind Sam Wray & Luke Henderson and Paddy O' Connor & Brendan Brogan, needed to finish 3rd or better for the championship. They eventually edged past the Sligo pair at the weather mark and into the finish to give them a single-point advantage over Ross Kearney & Daniel Nelson, with Colman Grimes and Ross Gingles finishing third overall.

In the Silver Fleet, David Evans & William Draper (Sligo YC) continued their dominant season, taking 1st (5th overall), followed by Rory Higgins & Chris Clayton (RNIYC) in 2nd, and Sam Wray & Luke Henderson (Sligo YC) in 3rd. The Bronze Fleet was won by Michael Collender & Brian Walker (Mullingar SC), who also celebrated their first-ever Championship race win, with Riaghan Boardman & Maedbh Butterly (Rush SC) taking second, Dennis Cully & Ollie Lloyd (Blessington SC) third.

Youth winners at the GP14 Leinster Champions at Howth Yacht Club were David Evans and William Draper Photo: Karolina Badzmierowska

The prizegiving saw Emmet Dalton (Hon. Sailing Secretary), Christina Knowles (Rear Commodore) and Andy Johnston (GP14 Class President) present Race Winners as well as Bronze, Silver and Overall prizes. I must note that Race 5 and Bronze fleet winners Michael Collender (former Class President) & Brian Walker received a standing ovation from the fleet on the occasion of their first-ever Championship race win.

Receiving the McDowell Trophy as Leinster Champions, Sean Craig on behalf of the winning pair, commended the club on a terrific and hard-fought championship, paying tribute to the strength of the class in Ireland and the hospitality and organisation led by the race management team at Howth, which included camping facilities at Howth.

Congratulations also go to Lara Sunday, celebrating with an impromptu “Hen Do” for her forthcoming nuptials this summer.

The next event on the calendar is the eagerly anticipated Championship of Ireland, which will be held at Newtownards Sailing Club from June 28th to 30th.

With no race wins but five results in the top four, Dubliners Sean Craig and Stephen Boyle proved consistency pays at Howth Yacht Club on Sunday with overall victory by a single point at the 34-boat GP14 Leinster Championships.

Royal North Of Ireland pair Ross Kearney and Daniel Nelson were second on 17 points in the six race championships, with the top two boats having a margin of ten points on third-placed Skerries duo Colman Grimes and Ross Gingles.

This is the season's third event for the Geeps and the first on the sea, with both the Munsters and the O'Tiarnaigh Challenge held on Lough Derg and Owel, respectively.

With the Worlds across the water in Pwhelli in August and 30 Irish boats amongst the 80+ entries, Howth proved an important build-up to Plas Heli.

Results below

This weekend, the GP14 Leinster Championship fleet comes to Howth Yacht Club. This is the third event of the season and the first on the sea, with both the Munsters and the O'Tiarnaigh Challenge held on Lough Derg and Owel, respectively.

With the Worlds across the water in Pwhelli in August and 30 Irish boats amongst the 80+ entries, this is an important event for the Irish fleet in its build-up to Plas Heli.

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club's Chris Bateman and Adrian Lee are in Howth for the GP14 Leinster Championships

At this stage, it looks like we will have 34 boats come to the line on Saturday. Score Walls, the PRO, has said that conditions permitting, she will try to facilitate some gate starts, enabling some preparation for the Worlds.

Top GP14 Ireland pairing and current Leinster Champions Ger Owens and Mel Morris will not make the event. The pair took the title when held as part of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta in 2023. While the pair will not defend their title, the fleet lacks some excellent crews. Ross Kearney & Daniel Nelson (Royal North of Ireland YC), Sean Craig & Stephen Boyle (R St George & Sutton) and Colman Grimes & Ross Gingles (Skerries), who all shone at various stages last season, will be joined by some new but no less experienced faces.

Ross Kearney (right) and Daniel Nelson (Royal North of Ireland YC) are the reigning GP14 Ulster Champions

Howth Yacht Club's Ewan McMahon jumps from his Olympics Laser to join his dad in their first GP14 event of the season. It is great to see Diane Kisaane and Graham Curran, also from Howth Yacht Club, back in the fleet, with former Junior Helmsman Champion Chris Bateman from Monkstown Bay and Royal Cork Yacht Club starting to become a regular.

David Evan and William Draper were the winners of the 2024 GP14 O'Tiarnaigh Challenge

The peninsula is well represented, with Alan Blay and Hugh McNally, Conor Twohig and Matthew Cotter, Katie Dwyer and Michelle Rowley, David Johnston and Oscar Langan, and Hugh Gill and Richard Street not having too far to travel! It was also great to see Ruan and Charlotte O'Tiarnaigh, runners-up in the Championship of Ireland last season, representing Sutton Dinghy Club this season.

Howth has also laid on facilities to welcome crews from as far as Sligo, Malahide, Cullaun, Skerries, Lough Erne, Rush, Lough Foyle, Moville, Donaghdee, Newtownards, Blessington, Mullingar, Greystones and East Antrim.

The GP14 Class continues to encourage and attract good young sailors. Its yearly coaching week in Plas Heli, under the watchful eye of Neil Marsden and Sam Watson, is certainly starting to reap its rewards, with young crews prominent at the top of big races in the last few seasons.

This season has been a whirlwind for young David Evans and William Draper from Sligo. Having just turned 17, David and William took second behind Ger and Mel at the Munsters in Killaloe in April and then took the top podium spot two weeks ago at the O’Tiarnaigh Challenge in Mullingar.

Sam Street and Josh Lloyd were first time race winners in the GP 14 fleet last season

Light weather events both, but the pair are ones to watch along with Sam Street & Josh Lloyd from Blessington, who sprang into life last season with multiple race wins.

It should make for a great few days with six races over the two days and the weather gods looking like they might play ball.

The GP14 O'Tiarnaigh Challenge at Mullingar Sailing Club proved to be a thrilling event with 30 entries and 29 boats competing on the start line. The competition served as excellent preparation for the upcoming World Championships in Pla Heli in August.

On the first day of racing, 29 teams battled it out in light to medium wind conditions. With six races scheduled, it was a long and challenging day for all participants. PRO Jim Lambkin and his race team ensured the races started on time.

Sean Craig, with Stephen Boyle, made the best of the conditions to take the win from a newcomer to the fleet, Chris Bateman, sailing with Adrian Lee. This was swiftly followed by a great result from Adam and Emily Torrens of Newtownards in 3rd.

Newcomer to the fleet, Chris Bateman of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club sailing with Adrian Lee at the GP14 O'Tiarnaigh Challenge at Mullingar Sailing Club

Race 2 got away with a clear start for all. Sean Craig again getting away, this time followed by Conor and Matthew of the Wrong Trousers and the local boat of Alan Pinder and John Zumerchik also in the mix. By the end of the 2nd upwind, after heading out to the right, Josh and Sara had managed to pull their way to 2nd. At the finish it was Sean, Josh in 2nd , Alan 3rd and the Wrong trousers 4th.

Race 3 saw a great start from Norman Lee, with the top 10 boats all being very close to the windward mark. By the end of the first lap, Norman managed to stay ahead of Sean with Diana Kissane rounding 3rd. The next upwind saw many place changes throughout the fleet. Ross Kearney managed to get ahead of Sean at the front, with Keith and Mateo Louden moving up to 3rd and this became the finishing order.

GP14 O'Tiarnaigh Challenge Race Officer Jim Lambkin (right) with his team at Mullingar Sailing Club

The fourth race was led to the first mark by JP and Carolyn McCaldin, this time with Chris and Adrian close behind, Josh in 3rd and the ever consistent team of Sean and Stephen rounding in 4th. By the finish, Chris had moved into the lead with the McCaldins 2nd, Josh 3rd and Sean 4th.

Race 5 saw an exciting start with big splits to the sides in the fleet. At the top it was the team of Katie and Michelle who made it around in the lead, with Chris and Adrian hot on their heels. Tadhg and Brian of Tralee, were also having a great race rounding in 6th place. By the finish, Chris managed to get into the lead, with Sean 2nd and Katie finishing 3rd.

The final race of the day got underway with the left hand side paying. Patrick O’Connor made the best of this and made it round the weather mark in the lead. This time with Ross in 2nd place and Curly, with new crew Lara, following in 3rd. By the finish, Ross managed to pip the win from Patrick, followed by Sean 3rd and Curly having his best result of the day in 4th. This result will be welcomed by Curly’s wife Ann, who later commented on Curly being a little too eager to get over the line on occasion…

Day two arrived, this time with plenty of sun and warmth, just lacking a bit of breeze. This time, the fleet was split, the top 3 of each fleet now racing together for the O’Tiarnaigh trophy, with the rest of the fleet now racing on a separate start for the plate.

In race 1, Josh and Sara lead around the top mark with a slight gap over Chris/Adrian, Adam/Emily Torrens and David/William, however this gap and lead quickly disappeared in the dwindling breeze. On lap 2, David managed to work his way to the front, with Simon/Libby also onto a flyer. By the finish, David had pulled out a good lead over the rest of the fleet in the almost drifting conditions. Simon worked his way up to 2nd, Chris took 3rd and Adam 4th.

There was a gap between race 1 and 2 due to the very patchy breeze over the lough. When race 2 finally got underway, it was a bit of a lottery as to which side of the course was going to pay. David took the option to go right, and in the end didn’t work so well. Going up the middle and following the shifts payed off with Chris taking the lead at the top ahead of Adam, with Sean closely behind. After many place changes on the next lap, David/William managed to gain some places on the reach, to squeeze in their 2nd win of the day after pulling their way back up through the fleet, Chris moved to 2nd with Sean taking 3rd.

Down to the last race of the day and this time it was the left side paying with the Local boat Alan and John taking the lead at the top, Adam and Simon were 2nd and 3rd. By the second upwind mark, Adam was in the lead with Chris and Simon in pursuit. By the finish, Chris had taken the lead, with Alan moving back to 2nd and Josh moving up to 3rd. David and William finished in 4th, which was enough for them to take the O’Tiarnaigh trophy.

It’s great to see some younger talent moving up through the fleet, with the youth training making a huge difference to the quality of younger sailors the class now has.

The next GP14 event is GP14 Leinsters in Howth Yacht Club on June 1, the weekend after Wave Regatta.

Killaloe Sailing Club in County Clare played host to the highly anticipated GP14 Munster Championships, the first championship of 2024. The event drew 27 teams from across Ireland to experience the excitement and charm of sailing on Lough Derg. For most, it was their first time at the venue, while a couple of returning sailors enjoyed exploring the club's new facilities.

Despite forecasts of near-calm conditions, Race Officer Aoife Lyons managed to orchestrate all six planned races, with a wise decision to complete four races on Saturday. Ger Owens and Melanie Morris, seasoned champions of Wicklow Sailing Club and East Antrim Boat Club, secured victory in the Irish GP14 calendar's first event with an impressive three first-place finishes on day one, bravely navigating the challenging and what Ger later described as “sadistic” conditions that tested the fleet's resilience. The other race winners were Blessingtons Simon Cully and Libby Tierney.

2024 GP14 Munster Championship racing on day one on Lough Derg

With a very light forecast, the fleet was held ashore till after midday before being called onto the lake. The fleet had a number of false starts before the black flag was introduced for race 5. Another superb start from young David Evans and William Draper saw them battle Ger and Mel for 2 laps with the lead changing a couple of times. The young Sligo sailor held his nerve and took his first race win in the senior fleet.

Entering the final race of the event, scores remained tight between the pairings of Alan Blay and Hugh McNally (Sutton Dinghy Club / Howth Yacht Club) on 15 points, Sean Craig and Stephen Boyle (Royal St George’s Yacht Club / Sutton Dinghy Club) on 16, Coleman Grimes and Ross Gingles (Skerries / Derwent Reservoir Sailing Clubs) on 17 and David Evans and William Draper (Sligo Yacht Club) on 18. The final race would be the decider for the remaining podium spots, and with more pressure filling in from the right David Evans and William Draper led the charge and gained enough separation from the competition to claim 3rd place behind Sam Street & Josh Lloyd and Ger & Mel and jump into second place overall; concluding a great series for them highlighted by that first-place finish in race five. Third place was claimed by the duo of Coleman Grimes and Ross Gingles of Skerries and Derwent Reservoir Sailing Clubs, making their debut in the new black boat.

GP14 2024 Munster Champion Ger Owens (right) with his trophy at Killaloe Sailing Club. The winner paid tribute to the hospitable club, Commodore Anne Gleeson, Sailing Secretary Eoin Enright and its dedicated volunteers for ensuring a memorable weekend's racing

The demonstration of camaraderie, especially by the youth sailors who had been refining their skills at the E Howard-Davies GP14 Youth Training Week held in Plas Heli over the Easter break was noteworthy. Among them, David Evans & William Draper (Sligo Yacht Club) and Sam Street and Josh Lloyd (Blessington Sailing Club) showcased remarkable awareness in Races 5 & 6, respectively, adeptly seizing the subtle zephyrs to secure victory in that race.

Youth crews competing in the GP14 Munster Championships at Killaloe Sailing Club on Lough Derg

In the Silver fleet, the top three spots were secured by David Evans and William Draper (Sligo Yacht Club), Simon Cully and Libby Tierney (Blessington Sailing Club), who also clinched a win in race two, demonstrating their exceptional skill in utilizing momentum and seizing the opportunities presented by the port flyer, and Tadhg O'Loingsigh and Eimer Moriarty of Tralee Bay Sailing Club. The Bronze fleet saw East Down Yacht Club’s Robbie Richardson and Nathan Telford securing first place, followed by Daithi and Arann Murphy of Tralee Bay Sailing Club in second, and Riaghan Boardman and Maedbh Butterly of Rush Sailing Club in third. The next event is the O'Tiarnaigh Challenge, taking place on May 18th and 19th at Mullingar Sailing Club.

19 GP14s set sail on St Patrick's Day for the fifth weekend of the spring series at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough. 

The sailors were greeted with a light 4-5 knots from the south, with a balmy 12 degrees! Race Officer Gerry Reid and his team managed the light shifty breeze excellently, setting 3 races away in what was a building offshore breeze.

This series, and in particular this weekend, saw some new faces entering the fleet for the first time: Ross Nolan helming with his daughter Ellie crewing and Lucy Anderson swapping her Feva for the front of Jane Kearney’s GP14. Peter Todd of RNIYC and Craig Troughton are new to the fleet and are showing some great promise. GP14 stalwarts, Sam Street/Josh Lloyd and Conor Twohig/Matthew Cotter made the effort to travel from Dublin and have definitely increased the intensity at the pointy end of the fleet. A testament to the great racing during this series, four boats travelled from the West: Keith and Matteo Louden from Lough Foyle Yacht Club and three boats from Lough Erne Yacht Club: Michael and Emma Brines, Peter Brines and Charlie Valentine, and Brian Morrison sailing with local Steven Nelson.

Downwind racing at the 19-boat GP14 Spring Series at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Photo: Zac Dalzell

The collective mix of age, experience, and personalities is what the GP14 is renowned for, and it is fantastic to see, especially so early in the season.

Following a general recall, the black flag was out for the remainder of the day. In Race 1, the fleet battled the oscillating wind and bands of pressure with the wind building to 7-10 knots. The fleet stayed very compact throughout the two lap windward/leeward course with plenty of place changing and great competitive racing. Ross Kearney and Daniel Nelson came in 1st, closely followed by Keith and Matteo Louden, with Adam and Emily Torrens in 3rd. Robbie Richardson, new to GP14 sailing Nathan Telford, came in a credible fourth.

There was plenty of shifty upwind work at the GP14 Spring Series at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Photo: Zac Dalzell

The wind had increased a little in race 2, now gusting 11 knots, which allowed some crews to stretch their legs. Again a very shifty beat followed by a patchy run saw plenty of place changing. The first leeward gate provided a spectacle for the race team watching from afar with a 10-boat pile-up, sailors gently asking for a room, or so they say, and huge gains and losses to be made. Ross Nolan and Ellie, using Ellie’s experience, dropped the spinnaker early and waited for a lovely gap to appear, then glided on in and around for a huge gain!

Ross and Daniel managed to stay out of trouble, and crossed in 1st place, with Sam and Josh coming in 2nd, Josh Porter and Sara Gowdy in 3rd place.

With the wind starting to drop for the third race, the fleet got away cleanly, apart from Jane and Lucy, who were black-flagged (not part of the training plan!).

Ross and Daniel had a tight battle with Sutton Dinghy Clubs Conor and Matty and East Down’s Patrick Hamilton and Hana Stolcova. Having stolen the lead up the second beat, Patrick and Hana, unfortunately, lost out at the windward mark rounding, with Ross and Daniel and Conor and Matty sneaking past to finish in that order.

The overall standings are listed below, with next Sunday being the final day of the series. Rumours of more Dublin-based boats set to make the journey up would jump the fleet over the 20-boat mark, which is excellent in the third season of the RNIYC GP14 Spring Series.

GP14 Spring Series 2024 at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Results.  Sailed: 11, Discards: 2, To count: 9, Entries: 18

A results pdf is downloadable below

Ireland will stage the GP14 World Championships for the second time in four years following a decision by the International Committee to relocate the 2026 World Championship from Sri Lanka.

Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, Belfast, has agreed to host the championships following a review by the GP14 International Committee in early February.

Skerries Sailing Club last hosted the GP14 championship in Ireland 2022 after a number of cancellations caused by COVID.

A decision was made to look to relocate the 2026 World Championship to an alternative venue. "It was with much regret that the Committee had to consider this course of action,"  Irish President Andy Johnston told Afloat.

The Sri Lanka Championship Committee were notified, and the GP14 International President, Charles Saunders, issued an update very recently to the GP14 membership outlining the concerns and challenges that led to this decision.

These were primarily:

• Container shipping costs estimates suggest that the per boat cost could be in the region of €1,200-1,500 which is 3 to 4 times more expensive than shipping boats to Barbados for 2016 Worlds
• There still remains serious uncertainty on the future price of shipping with Red Sea being drawn into Middle East conflict, notwithstanding impacts on delivery times and schedules
• Long haul air fares have also risen considerably and unlikely to drop much in the near to medium future

The outcome of all these factors was that the Committee believed there are very few sailors in Ireland or the UK who could commit to an event in Sri Lanka in two years time and that we would struggle to get more than a couple of containers and the event would not attract sufficient numbers to make a proper World Championships. Having considered the forgoing issues very carefully, it was with much regret that the General Committee decided that it would be sensible as a class to look for an alternative venue for 2026 World Championships.

That process has been underway for several weeks, with the Championship Committee looking beyond the traditional venues, including possible European venues. This is a challenge as many suitable locations will already have locked down their events calendar for 2026.

However, the GP14 International Committee is delighted to announce today that the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, Belfast, has agreed to host the 2026 GP14 World Championships. The Club was already earmarked to host the 2026 UK Nationals, so it was ideally placed to step into the breach. More details and revised dates will follow.

More than thirty boats hit the water for Week 2 of the post-Christmas Howth YC Dinghy Frostbite series on Sunday morning writes Conor Murphy, when they were met with perfect breezes of 10 knots with some gusts and lulls either side of it, combined with bright sunny skies and a fun-seeking tide switching direction halfway through the day's racing. Race Officer Ronan McDonnell of HYC got the racing underway on time, sending all fleets around windward-leeward courses for both races.

That said, the first attempt at an ILCA start fell foul to a general recall, thanks to both over-eager ILCAs in their growing fleet, and the initial flood tide pushing everyone over the start line. A U flag for subsequent ILCA starts ensured all were much better behaved.

With 2024 being their Golden Jubilee Year at Howth, it is expected the ILCA/Laser fleet will continue to increase

A museum of Dinghy Racing – GP 14 leader Alan Blay (Howth/Sutton) battling it out with Ryan Cairns (Clontarf) in the 1946 & 1938-originating IDRA 14

The ILCA 7s had 10 sailors on the water, and competition was fierce all across the fleet, with every spot hard fought for. Rory Lynch of Baltimore SC took an early lead in Race 1 and maintained it around the 3 laps, however the remaining 2nd-6th place spots swapped hands multiple times throughout the 40 minute race.

The ILCA in its various forms continues to be the most numerous boat-type – Stan O’Rourke (left, of Malahide) showed why he leads the 4.7s by being up with clubmate Alex Deasy in his ILCA 6

Conor Murphy (Howth) ultimately claimed 2nd, while Daragh Kelleher (Skerries) just pipped Dan O'Connell (Monkstown Bay) to take 3rd on the finish line. In Race 2, Dan O'Connell (sporting an interesting video rig on his transom) led from the first windward mark and extended his lead from there, followed by Rory Lynch and Conor Murphy. Rory Lynch leads the fleet in the series, but with 14 more races scheduled and the fleet growing, the leaderboards will no doubt see many changes before the end.

Carla Fegan (Howth) racing in the ILCA6 class

PY FLEET A MARITIME MUSEUM OF DINGHY RACING

The eclectic PY fleet saw yet another new addition this week in the form of the blue-sailed Enterprise, sailed by Kay Cornally of HYC. GP14s continue to dominate the podium places of the PY fleet, claiming 2 of 3 spots in each race. In Race 1, however, Daragh Sheridan's RS Aero of the home fleet claimed victory, closely followed by Sam Street's GP14 down from the Wicklow mountains at Blessington, and in third came Matthew Cotter of Sutton DC, helming The Wrong Trousers after taking a stepping backwards in the boat, as he’s usually crews for Conor Twohig.

Once upon a time, many of us raced Enterprise dinghies. Kay Cornally of Howth keeps the torch aloft, albeit in a glassfibre version

Continuing GP14 ding-dong between Sam Street of Blessington (left) and Matthew Cotter of Sutton

In Race 2, the GP14s made their way to the front of the fleet, with HYC & Sutton's Alan Blay taking first, followed by the consistent Sam Street, and then Daragh Sheridan. The fleet continues to have a variety of other boats including B14, Melges 15 and IDRA 14 - time will tell which boat and sailors will master the variety of conditions that the series will throw at them over the nine week series, but currently Alan Blay & Hugh McNally's GP14 of Sutton & Howth leads the fleet with 3 points after counting 3 races.

Charlie Robertson’s RS Feva against the classic background of Ireland Eye in its winter coat

The ILCA 6s had a strong turnout, with eight boats on the water. Viktor Samoilovs (Malahide & Howth 1, 3), Tom Fox (Rush SC, 3,1) and Peter Hassett (Dublin Bay SC:2, 2) were the podium finishers in the two races, but each spot was closely ought for, with Ciara McMahon and Darragh Peelo fighting every inch of the way.

Tom Fox leads the fleet by one point over Viktor Samoilovs. In the ILCA 4s, Stan O'Rourke (Malahide & Howth) continued his run of form with back to back wins, followed by Connor O'Sullivan and Charlie Power in that order in each race. Stan leads the series with 3 points from 3 races counted.

How’s the local economy? Try counting the active tower cranes. Jeremy Beshoff and Declan McManus in the B14 speeding towards the re-development of Howth’s old Techrete site to become the new up-market Claremont Apartments

Full results are available below, there are 7 weekends left in the series, followed by the annual Round the Island Race and prize-giving lunch in March 9th.

BRASS MONKEYS

The Cruiser-Racers, having poked their noses out into the ocean on New Year’s Day, are taking most of January off in order to allow their very varied personnel the time to go ski-ing or head down to South Africa to check out their vineyards and diamond mines, nevertheless we’re assured they’ll be resuming their Brass Monkeys series on January 28th to continue until March 2nd, and the entry list is still open.

Those intrepid spirits who venture westward on the road from the Most Serene Republic of Howth through Sutton Cross, and on into the wilds of nearby Ireland, always used to look forward to the first glimmering glimpse of Sutton Creek and Dublin Bay on their left.

This comes with the long panorama of the Wicklow Hills blending into the Dublin Mountains beyond, book-ended by the distinctive peak of the Sugarloaf Mountain to the east, while westward the stopper is the double exclamation mark (“screamers” as we call them in the verbiage business) of the two Poolbeg Smokestacks. They smoke no longer, but sentimental Dubs won’t let them go, as they see them as essential to the scene, even if they did make mighty objections when their construction started in 1974

Whither, O splendid ship? Outward bound with all flowers set towards the Poolbeg Smokestacks. The Poolbeg Twins don’t make smoke any more, but Dubliners, having furiously objected when they were built in 1974, now object with equal fury to any plan to demolish them. Photo: W M Nixon

This up-lifting wide-screen vista appears as you emerge from behind the shoreside line of properties now known as Millionaires’ Row. It wasn’t always thus, as the location close along a southwest-facing shoreline made older properties very sad-looking indeed if maintenance slackened.

But since Rainfall Radar and its various accessories arrived, the Sutton Cross area has emerged as the driest place in all Ireland, something previously unknown when the only statistics came from official mechanical gauges in relatively rain-swept places like the People’s Park in Dun Laoghaire.

THE DRYEST PLACE IN IRELAND

Sutton Cross - the Howth Peninsula’s isthmus or tombolo - is not Ireland’s sunniest place, for that’s still Wexford. But as news spread on the grapevine about scientific recognition of the lack of rain along Sutton’s south shore, the cute ones started buying up the properties, many of which were in the tired state of a house that’s been in one family for several generations.

Renovations and re-buildings got under way, while sensible folk created a wind-break of escallonia up and growing as soon as possible to keep the worst effects of the salty sou’westers at bay. On the road side, meanwhile, the appearance of wide gateways funneling into a solid hardwood automated gate confirmed the up-graded status.

Vista for a lifetime. Even on a winter’s day of limited visibility, the Sutton-viewed panorama to the southwest of the skyline from the Sugarloaf to the Smokestacks evokes thoughts of “over the hills and far away.” Photo: W M Nixon

As one who feels that the best houses are those that cannot be seen from a public road, I could not demur. But it did mean that the first glimpse of the bay and the mountains beyond as you put Millionare’s Row astern was even better appreciated. Until, that is, a distraction was introduced by some well-meaning souls who felt it needed the ornamentation of a herbaceous plot of brightly-coloured flowers, almost garish, in fact, and they’re all in a tightly packed display.

It’s reasonable enough as an idea. But when a retired GP 14 dinghy is used as the flower-pot, we enter a different word of distracted drivers and confused thinking. We’ve always had mixed thoughts about the widespread habit – not necessary just in coastal area – of using de-commissioned boats as flower beds. However, a GP 14 dinghy is something else altogether, for superficially she seemed in quite good shape, but any traces of a boat name or builder’s plate has been removed to ensure anonymity.

SCRAPPAGE FROM SUTTON DINGHY CLUB?

So everyone will assume that she was taken as scrap from the boat-park at Sutton Dinghy Club a mile or so along the coast. Thus the little boat’s fate seems all the more sad, for as you look nor’east across her, visible in the distance is Sutton DC with its dinghy park alive with masts flashing in the sun, its vibrant if distant presence emphasising the flowerbed boat’s completely de-commissioned state.

Yet what do we do with old boats that have gone past their useful years as seaworthy sailing vehicles? It’s maybe better that decisions such as seeking out a landfall site are postponed over days and weeks. After all, James Dwyer of Royal Cork YC’s wonderful classic 1976 Bruce Farr-designed Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble is now a successful and life-enhancing presence around Crosshaven.

Yet not so many years ago, she was in Greece and destined for an Athens land-fill, but fortunately the owner lacked that vital tool for action, the Round Tuit, and there was time for Swuzzlebubble to be saved by Mordy of Cowes.

James Dwyer’s classic Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble of 1976 vintage is a life-enhancing presence at the Royal Cork YC in Crosshaven, yet only a few years ago she was saved from a landfill fate in Greece. Photo: Robert Bateman

But the problem with a GP14 is she’s “only a dinghy”. Larger craft lend themselves to more stately ends. Back in 1968 I was returning from Spain on a solo coastal cruise around South Brittany, and called into Camaret, which in those days was very busy traditional fishing port in which cruising yachts were just about tolerated.

These days, the situation is almost exactly reversed, as the fishermen have been removed to a nearby commercial purely fishing port, and Camaret trades for tourists and cruising boats on the charms of the characterful harbour they left behind.

But in 1968, it was the real McCoy, with the solemn tradition that the old Tunnymen – some of them still with much evidence of their sail-driven past – were not broken up, but rather all re-usable gear was removed, and they were given their final resting place in ancient dignity on a foreshore beside the harbour, and there boat anoraks like me could wander reverentially around, savouring the lines of some of the best working sailing hulls ever created.

The End Game. Retired Tunnymen were achieving a certain dignity in 1968 in their final resting place on the foreshore at Camaret harbour. Photo: W M Nixon

We can’t see that happening with an old GP 14, but nevertheless you’d be forgiven for thinking that a new life as a flower-bed is a fate worse than death. GP14 means General Purpose 14ft dinghy. But even that very positively-minded genius Teddy Haylock, the longtime ideas-laden Editor of Yachting World magazine who got Jack Holt to make the GP 14 the corner-stone YW’s growing list of Build-Her-Yourself in 1949, can scarcely have imagined it would become a red-hot racing class with worldwide appeal.

GP? DOES IT MEAN GIANT PLANT-POT?

Thus it’s unlikely that you could persuade the many hundreds – thousands even – who continue to think that the GP14 is the bee’s knees to even think it’s slightly amusing if you suggested that GP can also be the anagram for Giant Plant-pot.

Nevertheless, it would surprise few of us if someone, temporarily traffic-jammed beside the flower-pot GP14 as kids pour out of the local high school, began to bethink to themselves of restoring it to full sailing condition, despite the fact that they wouldn’t have noticed it at all in its deteriorating state in the dinghy park.

Either way, can you imagine a flower-filled Shannon One Design at the roadside to welcome you to Athlone? Or a similarly-arrayed Water Wag in the approaches to Dun Laoghaire?