Some decidedly rugged racing yesterday (Friday), though with rapidly improving conditions, managed brilliantly to pull the wind-battered VDLR-23 back into line. But there’s no doubting the fact that it is all being achieved with weather that is a little bit too interesting for many folk.

We’re clamped in the malevolent maw of the North Atlantic Jetstream. It’s a remote enough high-altitude presence in itself, but when its distant effects are visiting themselves closely upon us in all-too-evident form, the Jetstream becomes extremely personal, often bringing a highly-humid air quality whose density will add to any existing wind pressure, and in any case the humidity saps the spirits.

If the main line of this extreme stream of perverse ultra-energy was well clear to the north or south of us - instead of snaking about more or less directly above - then the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2023 might have had hopes of a normal feel to the weather for the past couple of days, possibly even with a healthy infusion of Atlantic air.

JETSTREAM A SERIES OF WHIRLING DERVISHES

But not a bit of it, No sooner do we get ourselves out from under one Ireland-bound whirling dervish of remote yet very evident Jetstream than the next batch is on the way down the line from somewhere above Greenland, gathering itself up with renewed vigour for a closely-focused assault on the Emerald Isle. It’s such that it looks a though this morning (Saturday) will see us get another portion, before things settle back a bit once more.

All sorts of meteorological malevolence – the Jetstream targeting Ireland yesterday (Friday) morning Credit: Netweather

But be careful what you wish for. The next image is of seemingly idyllic Jetstream conditions for Ireland in June 2018. Certainly it was a time of apparent summer perfection. But there was damn all in the way of a decent and lasting sailing breeze. As we’ve all been saying in recent years in sudden recollection of Voltaire, the perfect is the enemy of the good. You have to expect a few flaws in a good day’s weather if you’re going to get any proper sailing at all.

One day in June….this seemingly idyllic Jetstream on a June day in 2018 certainly brought very summery weather, but with sea breezes slow to develop if at all, it was not a great day for sailing races.

“WE NEVER HAD WEATHER LIKE THIS WHEN THE CLUBS HELD THEIR OWN SEPARATE REGATTAS”

Yet a “few flaws” has definitely not been the case for the last couple of days, so we have to console ourselves with history when certain old salts assert that “we never had weather like this when the clubs held their own separate regattas”.

Admittedly with four separate weekends involved as of yore, there’d be a better chance of at last two or even three hitting the good sailing jackpot. But who on earth would reasonably expect a club on its own to provide the setup to cater for today’s 350 boats in 40 divisions for just one or perhaps two days of racing?

And with today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday) still in prospect as this is posted, with yesterday (Friday’s) full suite of results in addition to that one heroic Flying Fifteen result on Thursday with the win for Tom Galvin and Cormac Bradley, hope must be maintained.

Somebody should print them appropriate T-shirts…..Tom Galvin & Cormac Bradley’s win in Thursday’s only race – for the Flying Fifteens – was unique every which way. Photo: Afloat.ie/Bob Bateman

For there’s no doubt that being in the inner bay is being in a different world, and yesterday (Friday) afternoon, as conditions continued to settle, this image of Larne’s Curly Morris - Grandfather of the GP14 Class and racing his boat with Meg Tyrrell - makes it look easy, even when we remember that the helmsman has had several joints replaced to keep himself a smidgin ahead of the osteoarthritis.

It’s just a breeze! Ultra-veteran Curly Morris racing the GP14 in Friday afternoon’s improving conditions with Meg Tyrrell crewing. Photo: Afloat.ie/Bob Bateman

HISTORY LESSON ON ANCIENT NEED FOR HARBOUR

Meanwhile, if ever you needed a demonstration of why Dublin Bay needed an Asylum Harbour with such urgency in 1817 at what was then Dunleary, then recent days have been highly educational. Thanks to the topography of the Bay, any strong southerly will almost inevitably have a distinct touch of east in it as it comes round the mountains, and a full-blooded sou’easter with the strong Spring Tide ebb running against it in the afternoon – as it was on Thursday - is a case of the situation being much more than just the sum of its parts.

The entire setup has been a reminder of how much Dun Laoghaire Harbour and its key location in Dublin Bay was such a gift for the city’s many marine artists in the High Victorian era. With a bit of weather out in the bay, a short train journey on the new Kingstown railroad took our artists to an accessible sea and sailing scene which, when skillfully recorded, inspired awe and a sense of comfort-by-contrast when displayed in some well=appointed sitting room in the fashionable new suburbs and the Georgian townhouses on the city squares.

It may have been 1873’s Royal Irish Yacht Club Regatta, but this technically-perceptive racing scene painted by Richard Brydges Beechey reflects the conditions experienced on Thursday this week. Courtesy RIYC

The range of talent working this seam was remarkable, and while we were giving the nod to Matthew Kendrick last week, a call to remember the “Artist Admiral” Richard Brydges Beechey should be acknowledged this morning. His painting of the Royal Irish Yacht Club Regatta of 1873 could have emerged from Thursday’s sailing conditions, but for some tastes, as a painting it was just too rugged. Yet fortunately for delicate sensitivities, the Royal St George YC Regatta of the following year (1874) produced his very memorable recording of an in-harbour mark-rounding in wellnigh perfect regatta conditions.

Ever so genteel….rounding an in-harbour mark at the Royal St George YC Regatta of 1874 by Richard Brydges Beechey. Courtesy RStGYC.

EXCITEMENT OF IN-HARBOUR FINISHES

We’d a reminder of the extra sense of occasion provided by in-harbour finishes yesterday (Friday) when Frank Whelan’s canting-keel Elliott 57 Opal from Greystones swept through the Offshore Race’s finish line in Dun Laoghaire Harbour entrance to take line honours with a flourish, but we’re still a whole safety-conscious era away from times past, when spectacular finishes right at the clubs were expected.

Line honours winner - Frank Whelan’s canting-keel Elliott 57 Opal from Greystones at the Offshore Race’s finish line at Dun Laoghaire Harbour entrance Photo: Michael Chester

Back in 1867, the new super-schooner Egeria – owned by John Mulholland of Belfast – led the way in a sou’easter in a race into the harbour well-filled with large non-racing yachts at anchor, and hosting partying spectators. They’d anchored where they wished, with no thought of leaving a fairway for the finishing racers. But starting at full speed, Egeria could carry her way for ever, so her afterguard simply took the chance that they’d find a gap, and go for it. However, some of the spectating yachts and their attendant boats weren’t totally settled in location, there were slow manoeuvres taking place, and as Egeria swept through like a hot knife through butter, there were short sharp scrapes before she reached the line to take the gun.

“The wonderful Egeria”. In the 1860s, she set the gold standard for in-harbour finishes

Some boats thought to complain, but it was generally considered unsporting and was certainly unpopular, as this was to be considered the highlight of the regatta. Thus by the time the fleet sizes increased with smaller boats from the new Royal Alfred YC and Dublin Bay SC supposedly providing greater manoeuvrability. it was considered an integral part of the sport to be able to find your way through a maze of moored boats.

So by 1903, we have this image of the Viceroy’s Dublin Bay 25 Fodhla somehow getting the win after coming through gaps in a wall of anchored yachts, while additionally avoiding boats of the new-type Maimie Doyle-designed Water Wag also trying to finish a race. It remains to be seen if Con Murphy can come up with something similar on Sunday afternoon to finish Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2023 in traditional style.

The Dublin Bay 25 Fodhla wins the 1903 RStGYC Regatta after threading the eyes of several needles.

Read all of Afloat's coverage of the VDLR 2023 in one handy link here

Day Two (Friday, July 7) Photo Gallery of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta by Michael Chester

The Flying Fifteens saw a significant increase in their numbers for Day 2 of VLDR 2023, and they were “rewarded” with three races in robust conditions.

“Rewarded” is used judiciously as the fleet gathered in the National Yacht Club to initiate the recovery process! Nobody offered to “get the party going”, such was the physical challenge on the water. As one very experienced Fifteener said, that was like a day at a World Championship, and I should know!

It was a day with a bit of drama, too, as a tiller detached itself from its rudder; though the rudder wasn’t lost, it meant curtains for David Gorman and Chris Doorly (4099) and a long tow home.

The Pied Piper also made an appearance in the first race, with Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (4028) credited with the role, and maybe amazingly, followed by Shane McCarthy & Alan Green (4085). As the fifth fleet to start on the South Bull course, closest to the Liffey mouth, it seems that while the preceding four starts had course 2A, not everyone twigged that the Fifteens were given Course 2B, racing to the inner weather mark rather than the further one.

Lee Statham and Andrew Paul from Waterford Harbour. Statham (right) went overboard in race three but was recovered Photo: Bob Bateman 

And finally, we had a man overboard incident at the penultimate mark of the third race, the unfortunate victim being Lee Statham, helm of 4070.

Race Officer David Wilkins set a long beat for the first race though some chose to sail an even longer one. Colin and McCarthy were the most prominent people who went astray, leaving the leaders at the right weather mark as Gorman, Statham, Niall Meagher & Nicki Mathews (3938) and the previous day’s winners, Tom Galvin & Cormac Bradley (3757).

The first two were very close at the finish with a good lead on Meagher, with Galvin following in fourth, with Alan and Lorcan Balfe closing out the top five.

The next two races were sailed to Course 2A, the outer windward mark, and in actual fact, the inner mark seemed to have been lifted altogether. The weather mark was also moved shore-wards, suggesting that the wind had gone a bit further southerly. However, this appeared to mean that it became a “Lake Garda drag race” – head inshore and tack on the layline. That meant that the choice of when to tack became the most tactical element of the race. Colin, in particular, seemed to master the inshore tack the best, and ultimately, he would be rewarded with two third places for his tactical acumen. Statham added another second in the middle race, but McCarthy & Green went one better and took two bullets to head up the leaderboard at the end of the day.

Phil Lawton & Neil O’Hagan (3803) came back from a sixth in the middle race to score a second in the last race of the day, and Galvin had an even better recovery from a poor start and middle race to add another fourth to his tally.

Phil Lawton and Neil O’Hagan

The nett effect of the day’s endeavours means that McCarthy & Green lead with four points, followed by Statham on eight, Galvin on nine, Lawton on eleven, Meagher on twelve and Colin on fifteen.

An amendment on Saturday evening will see the fleet return to South Bull and the race management of Mr Wilkins rather than a sojourn to the Colleen course and Mr Lovegrove.

Another three races are promised in what at 00:53 are projected to be the lightest of the regatta thus far – low teens to just under the 20knots mark. It is just as well we aren’t scheduled to sail at 07:00 when the gusts are due to get in the high thirties, according to XCWeather.

 The O'Leary Antix crew defending their Irish crown in style after the first day of racing in tough Dublin Bay conditions at the Cape 31 Irish Nationals at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Antix, who were the UK's top Corinthian Cape 31 crew at Royal Lymington in June, are counting a 2,2,1 to be on five points and three points clear of Howth's Dan O'Grady sailing Aja.

Howth Yacht Club's Aja skippered by Dan O'Grady Photo: Michael Chester

Lying third in the six-boat fleet is Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe, the winner of the Cape 31 Class at the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup, is also on eight.

Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe Photo: Michael Chester

The strong southerly winds are expected to continue for Saturday's races before moderating for Sunday's conclusion of the biennial event.

The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St. George Yacht Club are organising the ninth regatta.

Royal Irish Yacht Club Commodore Jerry Dowling leads the SB20 fleet at the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta with three straight wins scored in blustery conditions on Friday. 

Lying second overall to Dowling's Bád/Kilcullen in the ten-boat fleet is clubmate Colin Galavan's Carpe Diem on eight points. 

In a one, two, three for the RIYC, Ger Dempsey's Venuesworld is third on nine points.

A discard applies after four races. Another five races are expected over the weekend to complete the series. 

The strong southerly winds are expected to continue for Saturday's races before moderating for Sunday's conclusion of the biennial event.

The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St. George Yacht Club are organising the ninth regatta.

Scotland's leading offshore skipper Jonathan Anderson seems to have gone native in Dun Laoghaire, as he registers himself and his J/122 El Gran Senor as racing for the Royal Irish YC in the crack Offshore Class of the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta with 25 top-level boats battling for the honours.

The RIYC will be happy to have him on board, for although Frank Whelan's big canting-keel Elliott 57 Opal from Greystones took line honours in the 30-mile offshore seafest, it was El Gran Senor that corrected into BCT under IRC.

The first race of the VDLR offshore fleet saw a start at Omega; Muglins (S); Bray Outfall (P); South Burford (S); East Kish (S); Bray Outfall (S); South Burford (P), and a Finish between Dun Laoghaire's pier heads, a distance of 32 miles

Various outfall buoys are proving so useful in providing distant turning marks for this very special division that it's surely not beyond the wit of the powers that be to give them a new (fresh?) name that better fits their perception for sailors.

Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom sports a flying jib on her close reach in from the South Burford to a finish line between pier heads at Dun Laoghaire Harbour in the first offshore race of the the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Michael Chester

Be that as it may, with three big boats in the first four, John O'Gorman's "little" Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie (National YC) did well to place second, ahead of the First 50 Checkmate (Dave Cullen & Nigel Biggs, Howth YC) in third, and their clubmate Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom in fourth.

The First 50 Checkmate (Dave Cullen & Nigel Biggs, Howth YC) Photo: Bob Bateman

The strong southerly winds are expected to continue for Saturday's races before moderating for Sunday's conclusion of the biennial event.

The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St. George Yacht Club are organising the ninth regatta.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta organisers released a bird's eye view film of an action-packed day two of sailing on Dublin Bay.

Ireland's largest yacht racing event was captured by drone by Dun Laoghaire sailor Mark Nolan of Lotus Media when southerly breezes topped 20 knots.

The 18-minute video features many of the competing 22 classes from the combined fleet of almost 400 boats.

The strong southerly winds are expected to continue for Saturday's races before moderating for Sunday's conclusion of the biennial event.

The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St. George Yacht Club are organising the ninth Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

You'll sometimes hear complaints that the impressive JPK range from France are marginally under-canvassed boats, but what's not to like about that when racing on Friday's slowly easing rough and tumble?

Paul O'Higgin's well-proven JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC) took it all in her stride to keep a clean sheet in IRC 0 of the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta ahead of Pete Smyth's slightly lower-rated Sun Fast 3600 Searcher (NYC), with third going to Johnny Treanor's new J112eGP (NYC) in the first race of three sailed.

Pete Smyth's Sun Fast 3600 Searcher (NYC) lies second by a single point after three races sailed at the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

And those overall scores were maintained at the close of play on Friday after two more windward leeward courses, with O'Higgins one point clear of Smyth on six points. Treanor trails Smyth by five points on 12 points.

Johnny Treanor's new J112eGP Valentina lies third overall after three races sailed at the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

The strong southerly winds are expected to continue for Saturday's races before moderating for Sunday's conclusion of the biennial event.

The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St. George Yacht Club are organising the ninth Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Former and current champions in various major regattas are battling for honours in IRC 1 in the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Mike & Richie Evans's well-starred J/99 Snapshot (Howth YC) got the best of it in today's first race ahead of John Maybury's frequently-winning J/109 Joker (RIYC), with northern star Final Call II, John Minnis's A35 helmed by Gareth Flannigan (RUYC & RNIYC) in third. 

Mike & Richie Evans's J/99 Snapshot (Howth YC) lying second overall after three races sailed in IRC One at the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

But Minnis, who told Afloat before the regatta that he wasn't coming down from Belfast to 'make up the numbers', made good on his intent by taking the overall lead after three windward-leeward races were sailed.

The 1,2 scored in the subsequent races gave the Royal Ulster crew the lead and an overnight cushion of four points over the Howth J99. 

In third is Richard and Timothy Goodobdy's White Mischief from the Royal Irish Yacht Club, the first of a strong turnout of 17 J109s in the IRC One fleet. 

Richard and Timothy Goodobdy's White Mischief lying third overall after three races sailed in IRC One at the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

The defending champion Maybury dropped to fifth overall when he counted an untypical 13th place in the day's closing race in the 24-boat fleet.

The testing conditions saw many broaches downwind as winds gusted over 20 knots.

The strong southerly winds are expected to continue for Saturday's races before moderating for Sunday's conclusion of the biennial event.

The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St. George Yacht Club are organising the ninth Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

The tough first race of IRC Two at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta saw the rugged veteran X-302 Dux (Gore-Grimes family, HYC) loving it, but as things settled down a bit, Olympian Andy Beadsworth in James Dwyer's legendary Half Tonner c (Royal Cork YC) found his mojo to record 4,4,1 against Dux's 1,7,3, while Stephen Quinn's J/97 Lambay Rules (HYC) lies third on 2,1,10.

Nicholas And Caroline Gore-Grimes in the Howth Yacht Club X-302 Dux lie second overall after three races sailed at the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

Stephen Quinn's J97 Lambay Rules from Howth Yacht Club lies third overall in the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

The strong southerly winds are expected to continue for Saturday's races before moderating for Sunday's conclusion of the biennial event.

The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St. George Yacht Club are organising the ninth Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Dublin Port Harbour Master Capt. Michael McKenna, Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Events Director Paddy Boyd and Dun Laoghaire Harbour Master Capt. Harry Duggan were at the opening of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta today ahead of the first races of the biennial event.

Dublin Port, the regatta organisers from the four waterfront yacht clubs and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council have overseen a safety plan for the duration of Ireland's biggest sailing event on Dublin Bay.

To ensure the safety of all concerned and to facilitate the management of such a large sailing event, Dublin Port's South Burford Traffic Separation Scheme will be closed to all commercial traffic on Thursday, 6 July, between noon and 6.30 pm, and Friday 7, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 July between 10 am and 6.30 pm.

Dublin Port, the regatta organisers from the four waterfront yacht clubs and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council have overseen a safety plan for the duration of Ireland's biggest sailing event on Dublin Bay Photo: Jason Clarke

Although around 400 boats and 2,000 sailors went to sea on the first day, the organisers had to cancel racing due to the gale force winds before the first warning signals.

Dublin Port Company issued a notice to mariners of navigational changes for the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, which began on Thursday (6 July).

As Afloat reported earlier, vessels arriving or departing Dublin Bay, including to/from the anchorage, during these times must use the North Burford Traffic Separation Scheme.

In addition, the port company has also issued a notice regarding the five temporary yacht markings that will be deployed in Dublin Bay for the duration of the regatta.