‘All In A Row 2021’ is coming back to the capital’s River Liffey on Saturday 11th December with a rowing challenge for the teams to smash a 1,000km target in eight hours. Forty skiffs, kayaks, canoes and currachs will all be on the water to raise funds for RNLI Lifeboats and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.

The organisers are hoping to exceed last year’s target of rowing 1,000km during the event on the river, which will start from St. Patrick’s Rowing Club at the Tom Clarke Bridge (formerly the East Link Bridge) and go up to the Ha’penny Bridge. The challenge is being undertaken with the aim of showcasing the River Liffey as one of Dublin’s best amenities while raising funds for the water-related charities, RNLI Lifeboats and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. The event raised €15,000 in 2019.

The event will start at 9 am on Saturday 11th December and at 1 pm all boats will gather on the Liffey at the Sean O’Casey footbridge. A wreath-laying ceremony, attended by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, will take place to commemorate all those who have lost their lives through drowning.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland, who will be attending the event, said “The River Liffey is such an important part of the city of Dublin and it is wonderful to see so many people using and enjoying the river in a range of skiffs, kayaks, canoes and currachs. Best of luck to all those taking part and well done for rising to the challenge of rowing 1,000 km, showcasing our beautiful river and raising money for two great water-related charities, RNLI Lifeboats and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.”

Many Dublin rowing clubs have their home on the River Liffey and are a regular sight on the water. At the port end of the river is St. Patrick’s Rowing Club, Stella Maris Rowing Club, East Wall Water Sports Group and Poolbeg Yacht and Boat club. Ringsend Basin is home to the Plurabelle Paddlers (dragon boats) and the Dublin Viking Dragon boats.

At the other end of the city beyond Heuston Station, there are many river rowing clubs and kayaking clubs, including Phoenix Rowing Club. Rowing clubs from other parts of Ireland will join in this challenge to raise funds for RNLI Lifeboats and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.

The J/109 Dear Prudence is the overall leader of the mixed cruiser DBSC Turkey Shoot Series on Dublin Bay after three of seven races sailed. 

The 1720 sportsboat 'What did you Break?' that led until race two is now in sixth place at the Royal Irish Yacht Club hosted event.

Download results below as a pdf file.

Second is a former double winner of the Christmas Series – one of the biggest yachts in the fleet – theFirst 50, Mermaid IV that sailed home in third place last Sunday.

The Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie is third overall. 

Race four starts next Sunday at 10.10hrs.

The 1720 sportsboat 'What did you Break?' is the overall leader of the mixed cruiser DBSC Turkey Shoot Series on Dublin Bay after two of seven races sailed. 

Download results below as a pdf file.

Second is the former GBR Commodore's Cupper, the First 40 Prima Forte, while another Turkey Shoot regular, the 1720 Optique, lies third overall.

Race three starts next Sunday at 10.10hrs.

Race Organiser Fintan Cairns reports a great atmosphere in the Royal Irish Yacht Club Wet Bar and the Terrace after racing, subject to COVID guidelines.

The life and times of Dublin Bay and glimpses of its wildlife against the backdrop of the capital and major port is the theme of a new series beginning on TG4 this week.

Filmed over four seasons, An Cuan is narrated by Eoin Warner. The series is billed as “a celebration of the beauty of Dublin Bay and a timely reminder of the challenges and dangers that its natural habitat faces”.

With a population of almost 1.5 million, Dublin Bay is also home to one of the most important wildlife conservation projects on the island, the series points out.

The series describes how the brent goose is the “unofficial mascot” of the Dublin Bay Biosphere, finding an unlikely feeding ground in the port.

In the first episode, which begins with Spring, Bull Island and the seabird colonies of Howth are explored, while kitesurfers take to the water. However, environmental challenges, including one family’s battle to save its house from the “ever-encroaching” sea and the impact of gorse fires in Howth are also profiled.

A Dublin Bay seal

Special pontoons built for the local tern population among the cranes and berths of Dublin Port are filmed in the second episode, entitled Summer, when the bee orchid comes into bloom on Bull island.

The vintage Howth 17 fleet feature in the new TG4 Series

The impact of human activity – on litter and in gorse fires – is also a theme, while Joyceans celebrate the special connection between Ulysses and Dublin Bay on Bloomsday, June 16th.

Autumn and winter seasons are captured in the final two episodes of the series, which was produced by Oddboy Media for TG4.

An Cuan is on TG4 from Wednesday November 10th at 9.30 pm

For sixty years and more, Carmel Winkelmann was a force of nature and a power for the good in sailing in Ireland, especially in Dublin Bay. While she gave generously of her time in all areas of interest, her speciality was the encouragement of young people into the sport, and the development of their talents. Her death in June of this year in her 93rd year marked the end of an era, and now it is time for the Final Watch, the scattering of her ashes on the waters of her beloved bay.

Tomorrow (Saturday 30th October) at 2.15 pm, a small flotilla led by the Winkelmann family will leave the Royal Irish YC heading for the Muglins, and accompanied by fellow sailors from Dublin Bay SC and the other Dun Laoghaire clubs with which Carmel was associated.

Communication will be on VHF 72 to co-ordinate a simple yet significant ceremony to mark the Final Watch for one of sailing’s truest and most enduring enthusiasts and pioneers.

The East Coast Cruisers Zero competition just got tougher with the news that a third J122 may be joining the Dublin fleet later this year. 

In 2021, Chris Power Smith's top ISORA offshore performer J122 Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club got company in May from a new Greystones Harbour sistership Kaya (Frank Whelan), which went on to win ICRA and Calves Week honours this season as well as last month's September's DMYC Kish Race too.

The Golden One - Chris Power-Smith's Royal St. George J122, Aurelia

The J/122, a 40-foot cruiser/racer, was designed by Alan Johnstone of the legendary J/Boats family and built in France by J/Europe. Its sporty credentials include light-to-moderate displacement (14,900 pounds), minimal overhangs, and a slippery, flat-bottomed hull form.

Now, Afloat understands that a third Irish J122 is destined for Howth (but with Dublin Bay 2022 race plans), will join from France.

The new addition, an 'Elegance' version, may arrive here in time for at least some of the forthcoming DBSC Turkey Shoot Series starting in November.

Hammy Baker of Strangford Lough has won the RS Aero National Championships on an imposing score of three first places with a discard of a sixth. The RS Aero Nationals sponsored by Irish National Marine Services were held on Saturday and Sunday at the Irish National Sailing Club in Dun Laoghaire.

It was a repeat of Baker's unstoppable performance in July when he won the RS Aero Easterns at the Royal St. George Yacht Club. 

The event welcomed 18 RS Aeros with a stellar lineup of top-class competitors and those newer to the class looking to learn and bring on their racing. All sailors choose to compete in the seven rigs. Class President Brendan Foley was delighted "With 18 of the 30 Aeros in Ireland competing here today, the Aero class has arrived – there are few other classes where so many past champions in other classes are sailing together, and so many new people are starting their racing journey, all in a friendly, sharing environment".

On the water, Baker was pushed hard by Howth's Paul McMahon, who opened the series on the Saturday with a win in frustratingly light and fickle winds. Only just for McMahon, as Roy Van Maanen, who had been leading, started to sail an extra lap – letting McMahon in, who in his excitement roll gybed so hard he fell out of his boat. A quick re-righting was enough to get McMahon across the line in first. Noel Butler of the National Yacht Club was second, and Sean Craig, back to try his hand at Aeros, got into the third spot. So light was the wind after race one that Race Officer Michael Conway of Wexford decided to abandon and send the fleet home after two hours of waiting for race two.

Thankfully, Sunday brought the much-awaited breeze gusting at times into the low twenties. A clear 1,2,3 emerged in these conditions, with Hammy, Paul and Daragh Sheridan (HYC) consistently in the top 3. Hard hiking, playing the shifts and sound waves technique downwind were the order of the day and while the first three places were secured, a massive battle was going on for fourth between Brendan Foley of the Royal St George, Noel Butler and Robert Howe (ex UK Laser ace) now sailing from Monkstown Bay Sailing Club. All three boats finished on 14 points, with the tie-break falling in favour of Butler in 4th, Foley in 5th and Howe in 6th. Howe's clubmate Emmet O'Sullivan was fast in serious condition. He put in a very credible 9th with another Monkstown Bay sailor Robbie Sullivan swopping his RS 400 for a blast in the Aero coming home in 11th.

Joan Sheffield Captain INSC, Hammy Baker - National Champion, Kenneth Rumball RS Agent ROI and sponsor

Sarah ‘Skinny’ Dwyer (left) - First Lady RS Aero sailor

In this brilliant one-design fleet, places traded faster than bitcoin, with a missed shift or bad tack resulting in areas lost or gained. Debutant competitors from Greystones Sailing Club Conor Galligan (10th) and Adam Leddy (12th) loved their introduction into the Aero class and put in a strong performance in a field stacked with champions. The first Master was Sean Craig of the Royal St George in 7th place who just edged Van Maanen of Greystones and George in 8th place and second Master. Emmet O'Sullivan was the third Master.

13th was lucky for some with Sarah 'Skinny' Dwyer battling her 7 rig around the course to win the first Lady prize. Normally a 5 rig sailor, completing all 4 races in a 7 was a great achievement and Skinny along with many of the competitors, as their legs were aching, dreamed of the forthcoming 6 rig. Demand for the 6 rig coming soon from RS is expected to be high with many sailors moving up from the 5 and down from the 7. The 6 is equivalent to the ILCA 6 is tipped to be the boat of choice for many sailors in Ireland.

Race management legend Robin Gray was first Grand Master in 14th with club mate from Ballyholme Christina Cunningham coming home in 15th place, who like skinny is normally a 5 sailor but stuck it out to get her 7 around the track. John Phelan of HYC, Mick Mc Cambridge of NYC and Keith Maxwell of EDYC certainly equipped themselves well in the very challenging conditions on the Sunday. Protest Committee Chair Gordon Davies was sad to not meet any of the competitors as there were no protests.

Joan Sheffield, Captain of the host Irish National Sailing Club presented the prizes in beautiful sunshine overlooking Dublin bay from their stunning outdoor roof deck. There was great buzz and everyone is looking for the next event at Greystones on 23/24th of October

Download results below as a PDF file 

With Saturday Dublin Bay Sailing Club cruiser-racing suspended to facilitate the ICRA National Championships at the National Yacht Club, the DBSC's racing was limited to the one-design and dinghy fleets. 

In the eight boat Glen class, Glenshesk (M. Reid, L Faulkner, G Walker) was the winner from Glencree (John Bligh & Henry Roche). Third was GlenDun (David Houlton)

A results summary in all classes is below 

DBSC Results for 04/09/2021

Race 1

31.7 One Design: 1. Prospect, 2. Levante, 3. Attitude

31.7 Echo: 1. Indigo, 2. Attitude, 3. Kernach

SB20: 1. So Blue, 2. venuesworld.com, 3. Carpe Diem

Flying 15: 1. Ignis Caput II, 2. Mike Wazowski, 3. Enfant de Marie

Sportsboat VPRS: 1. Jambiya, 2. Ram Jam

Sportsboat: 1. Jambiya, 2. Ram Jam

Ruffian: 1. Bandit, 2. Icicle

Shipman: 1. Invader, 2. Jo Slim 5, 3. Curraglass

B211 One Design: 1. Chinook, 2. Beeswing, 3. Billy Whizz

B211 Echo: 1. Beeswing, 2. Ventuno, 3. Chinook

Glen: 1. Glenshesk, 2. Glencree, 3. GlenDun

Squib/Mermaid: 1. Jill, 2. Aideen, 3. Periquin

PY Class: 1. Brendan Foley, 2. Richard Tate, 3. Michael McCambridge

IDRA 14: 1. Dunmoanin, 2. Dart, 3. Doody

Laser Standard: 1. Theo Lyttle, 2. Gary O'Hare, 3. Niall Cowman

Laser Radial: 1. Sean Craig, 2. Peter Hassett, 3. Brendan Hughes

Race 2

SB20: 1. venuesworld.com, 2. So Blue, 3. Carpe Diem

Flying 15: 1. Fflagella, 2. Rodriguez, 3. Flyer

Sportsboat VPRS: 1. Jambiya

Sportsboat: 1. Jambiya

Ruffian: 1. Ruffles, 2. Bandit, 3. Alias

B211 One Design: 1. Small Wonder, 2. Billy Whizz, 3. Chinook

B211 Echo: 1. Small Wonder, 2. Beeswing, 3. Ventuno

Squib/Mermaid: 1. Aideen, 2. Jill, 3. Periquin

PY Class: 1. Brendan Foley, 2. Richard Tate, 3. Michael McCambridge

IDRA 14: 1. Dunmoanin, 2. Doody, 3. Dart

Laser Standard: 1. Theo Lyttle, 2. Niall Cowman, 3. Chris Arrowsmith

Laser Radial: 1. Sean Craig, 2. Brendan Hughes, 3. David Cahill

Race 3

PY Class: 1. Brendan Foley, 2. Richard Tate, 3. Michael McCambridge

IDRA 14: 1. Dunmoanin, 2. Dart, 3. Doody

Laser Radial: 1. Sean Craig, 2. Brendan Hughes, 3. Peter Hassett

The National Yacht Club hosts the ICRA Nationals on Friday. 80 boats are entered. As in previous years, Afloat sticks its neck out to predict the top boats and winners in each division at Dun Laoghaire

In a typical year, you would have a big event such as Cork Week or Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta to gauge which boats are on form before predicting who will rise to the podium at a late-season ICRA Nationals. With VDLR cancelled in 2021, we will have to rely on events such as Sovereigns Cup, Calves Week, D2D, ISORA and DBSC to predict the likely winners.

Wind forecasting –this will play a big part this year. With only a day to go, the weather pattern indicates generally light to medium airs. Most wind models call light airs on Friday, a little more on Saturday, maybe around 10 knots. Sunday is generally light, though one wind model is showing 15 knots for the last day.

Class 0 will have only one race —a long coastal on Friday and one race Sunday with three short races on Saturday. All the other classes will have two races on Friday and Sunday and three on Saturday.

Clearly, with light wind predominating for the first two days, it must be expected that the winners will come from boats that do well in these conditions.

Class 0 

An excellent turnout of 13 yachts is expected from Northern Ireland, Cork and Dublin.

As Afloat previously reported, from Northern Ireland comes Shaun Douglas's Beneteau 40.7, Gamechanger and Jay Colville's First 40, Forty Licks. These boats perform well and are well crewed but generally prefer medium conditions to let them use their waterline lengths. We are not sure they will get this breeze on Friday and Saturday.

Paul O'Higgins' JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI - likes the breeze Photo: Afloat

If the conditions are medium to fresh, you would have to include Paul O'Higgins' JPK 10.80 as one of the likely winners. However, as was seen at Calves Week this year, she struggles in light airs, and this weekend's forecast will not be to their liking. She will stay in the hunt, though.

Sovereigns Cup winner, the new Grand Soleil 44, Samatom, owned by Bob Rendell from Howth, showed great form in both light and windy conditions in Kinsale to take the series from some good entries. However, her talents at that event included Olympian Mark Mansfield, who for ICRA's will be aboard another Class 0 entry, Frank Whelan's Greystones debutante J/122 Kaya.

The three Sunfast 3600s, Yoyo, Hot Cookie and Searcher, will be competing, but the lighter airs will not be to their liking.

This leaves the two likely favourites in these conditions, Conor Phelan's Ker 37 Jump Juice from Royal Cork and Frank Whelan's J/122 Kaya. This could be an exciting battle with Mansfield calling the shots on Kaya and Maurice (Prof) O'Connell doing the same on Jump Juice. Should it stay light, there will be nothing in it.

If the breeze comes up a bit, Kaya will still be strong, so we will call for Kaya to take it from Jump, but not by much.

Class 1

With 26 entries, this will be the biggest class numerically. Nearly all from the Dublin area apart from the two well sailed J/109's From Cork (Brian Jones' Jelly Baby and Finbarr O'Regan's Artful Dodger) and the Ker 32, Hijacker from Strangford lough, owned by Stuart Cranston. Hijacker will be the top-rated boat in its class, but if form is anything to go by, her performance at a light airs Scottish Series in 2021 will not bode well for this event.

Form boat - J/99 Snapshot (Mike and Ritchie Evans) Photo: Bob Bateman

Class 1 will likely be dominated by the many J/109s competing plus the new J/99 Snapshot, owned by Richard and Michael Evans from Howth. Snapshot won a competitive Sovereigns Cup Class 1 and is competitive in light and medium conditions. She will have Shane Hughes aboard, so expect her to make the podium.

The conditions will favour the J 109's, and there are 14 entered. Trying to pick who will emerge will be difficult. In 2021, Finbarr O'Regan's Artful Dodger took the runner up spot at the Sovereign's Cup, but that is after John Murphy and Richard Colwell's Outrageous had two OCS results. Outrageous, if she stays clean, will be in the mix. From Dublin Bay, you have the trio of John Maybury's Joker 2 (a four times ICRA winner), Tim Goodbody's White Mischief and Brian and John Hall's Something Else. All three regularly perform well. From Howth, Outrageous (tactician Aoife Hopkins) will be joined by Pat Kelly's Storm (tactician Robert O'Leary), who favours a breeze typically, but will nevertheless be there or thereabouts. Depending on what talent these J109's have onboard will determine who will likely come to the top.

We will go for Outrajeous and Snapshot, taking the top two slots, with Snapshot taking it by a hair.

Class 2

14 entries in this class will undoubtedly be dominated by the Half Tonners who excel in lighter airs. If there is a breeze for the three days, you could see Anthony Gore Grimes Dux come into the picture, but it does not look like this breeze will be present. Likewise, the J 97's Lambay Rules and Windjammer.

Not to be ruled out - David Kelly's Half Tonner King One Photo: Bob Bateman

The battle of the Half Tonners will be intriguing. The three form Half tonners will unfortunately not include David Cullen's Checkmate XV. Instead Cullen will sail with Nigel Biggs on Checkmate XVIII. Darran Wright's Mata will include Howth's Ross McDonald and Olympian Killian Collins, who will no doubt make a difference. The form would say that Nigel Biggs always performs well on the big stage. We will call for Nigel Biggs Checkmate XVIII to take it from Mata and Jonny Swann sailing David Kelly's King One instead of his regular Harmony coming in third.

Class 3

Paul Coulton's Cri Cri Photo: Afloat

Like Class 2, In lighter airs, the Quarter Tonners will like to rule the roost here. Paul Coulton's Cri Cri and Barry Cunningham and Jonathan Skeritt's Quest, both from the Royal Irish, will likely be the front runners. Of these two, Quest has the better record in the past and loves the light air.  Northern Ireland's Snoopy is still something of an unknown quantity here.

Were there to be breeze develop expect the J 24's to come into the picture, and of these, the wily Flor O'Driscoll could be one to watch.

Quest to win from Cri Cri and then a J24, possibly Flor.

Download the full entry list for the ICRA Championships here and download the Sailing Instructions below

This article was updated at 2 pm on Sept 2 to include additional crew and entry details

A year-long look at Dublin Bay’s ecosystem is the theme of a new television series on TG4 during the autumn.

Presented by Eoin Warner, “An Cuan” focuses on the fact that Dublin is the only city of its type in the world to have UNESCO biosphere designation.

The city has a population tipping 1.5 million and is one of Europe’s busiest commercial ports.

Biospheres are internationally recognised for their biological diversity but are also actively managed to promote a balanced relationship between people and nature.

The four-part series explores what it describes as “this unique urban area where nature and humanity at times live in harmony and at others battle to co-exist”.

“The series will take our audience on a journey through this beloved part of Ireland’s coastline and show it in a way rarely seen before,” TG4 says.

Warner focuses on “the natural beauty of Irish wildlife against the backdrop of the country’s urban centre”, it says.

The bay is a “beacon for how man and nature can and must co-exist to survive”, it adds.

“An Cuan” starts on TG4 on November 10th at 9.30 pm and is broadcast the following three Wednesdays.