Dun Laoghaire Crews Are Favourite for SB20 Crown as National Yacht Club Stages Irish Championships

20th June 2018

The three-man Sportsboat Championship will be held over three days (29th 30th June & 1st July) at the National Yacht Club Credit: Afloat.ie

Current form shows Royal St. George and Royal Irish Yacht Club crews are the ones to watch when the SB20 National Championships sets sail on the home waters race track of Dublin Bay at the end of this month.

In a busy period for the National Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire, the 2018 Club of the Year will stage the annual championships on the weekend following its own 160–boat Regatta this Saturday.

RSt.GYC's Michael O'Connor steering SIn Bin won the most recent SB20 encounter at the Northern Championships on Strangford Lough in May. Before that RIYC's Bad Kilcullen, skippered by Stefan Hyde got the season off to a flying start in April's Greystones inaugural.

The three-man Sportsboat event will be held over three days (29th 30th June & 1st July) on the Bay.

It's the first time in a long the SB20 Irish Championships is being held in the middle of the Summer rather than at a traditional end of season date.

As regular Afloat.ie readers will know, the SB20 European Championships are also being held on the Bay this year and will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club in September.

Published in SB20

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SB20

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SB20 (formerly Laser SB3) information

Designed by Tony Castro, the SB20 is a British-built strict one-design 6.15m keelboat conceived as a wide appeal, affordable, competitive sportsboat for teams of three or four sailors. It is also, arguably, the most successful sportsboat in the world with 800 owners competing regularly in a programme of exciting local, national and international events.

Originally known as the Laser SB3, the SB20 continues to deliver on its pioneering promise: a boat that is fun, fast and easy to sail by anyone of any age; the best value-for-money sportsboat in the market.

The Laser SB3 was designed by Castro and launched in 2002. In 2007 the Laser SB3 was awarded ISAF Recognised Status and the first World Championships were held in Ireland in 2008. In 2012, Tony Castro appointed a new builder, Sportsboat World. At this time, the Laser SB3 was renamed the SB20 and building was returned to the UK from Malaysia. The ethos of the class continues.

The boat is a strict one-design class, economic to buy and campaign, easy to sail with a simple deck layout and electric downwind performance delivered by the generous sail plan. The boat has a lifting keel, can easily be launched from a slipway and towed behind a family car.

Previous SB20 World Champions

2008 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Roger Gilbert, Roz Allen & Sarah Allan

Host National Yacht Club, Dun laoghaire, Ireland

2009 GBR: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heeley

Host Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal

2010 GBR: Jerry Hill, Grant Rollerson, Joe Llewellyn

Host Circolo Vela Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy

2011 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Andy Ramus, Ian Mills & Emma Clarke

Host Royal Torbay Yacht Club, Torquay, UK

2012 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Lesley Dhonau, Roger Hudson & Asenathi Jim

Host Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Queensland, Australia

2013 GRB: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heley Host COYCH Club, Hyeres, France