Some folk may have preferred to keep under the radar in some sort of shelter from international sailing's 2024 dominance by the Sailing Olympiad in Marseilles in the summer, and the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona in the Autumn. But there's no escaping the fact that it was a year in which - in these two very different events - our sport was a matter of general interest in a way rarely experienced by private enthusiasts, who often just want to get on quietly with what many outside the boating world will see, at the very least, as a decidedly eccentric hobby.
For sailing is undoubtedly a vehicle sport with tactical and sensory input, rather than a totally athletic endeavour. Yet even with the Olympic classes now pared down to emphasise boats demanding high levels of fitness and – in effect – acrobatic skills in addition to the usual brain power, sailing enthusiasts at either end of the sport still have much in common.
DICKSON & WADDILOVE'S STRONG SUPPORT
This means that, with the ultra-athletic 49er Skiff, the continuing support for Rob Dickson and Sean Waddilove – despite their missing out on an Olympic medal by one place – is if anything greater than ever, and it's right across the board.
Rob Dickson of Howth & Lough Ree and Sean Waddilove of Skerries in the early days of their Olympic 49er partnership.
As they've set their target in Los Angeles 2028, recently at one of the 49er sailors' fascinating post-Olympic presentations several sailing families have revealed that the Dickson/Waddilove duo have been totally beneficial as role models for dozens of young sailors or would-be sailors. Thus the countrywide support for them will be there - with increased strength and understanding - as the next four years progress.
For although it used to be thought that Olympic interest might be heightened by closing the four-year gap between Olympiads, staging them has become such a massive project, at multiple levels, that four years now barely seems enough.
CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT FROM PARIS TO LOS ANGELES
Certainly for the necessary cultural adjustment by all involved between Paris and France presenting themselves as modern and sporty yet still La France profonde in 2024, and Los Angeles and California coming over as West Coast uber-cool yet keen as mustard in 2028, we will all need a considerable mind re-set which in many cases is already well under way.
The Olympic Harbour at Marseille is an impressive display of the French skill with sailing facilities.
As for the next America's Cup series, the 38th, the staging of the 37th in 2024 in Barcelona happened to coincide with a time when the citizens of such tourism hotspots put on demonstrations against their historic cities being swamped out of meaningful life by visitors. So despite the fanfare when Barcelona signed on to stage the 37th, before it was even over it was clear that this had become a one-off venue.
REFUGEE STATUS FOR AMERICA'S CUP?
Acerbic observers may well have remarked that the modern America's Cup and its associated regattas might soon be deserving of International Refugee Status. But either way, one of the sources of fascination in the near future will be which ambitious city or region in the right climatic zone will put its head (and much money) above the parapet to take on this singular chalice, poisonous or otherwise. The stakes were spookily raised by the fact that, as soon as it was mentioned, the City of Valencia and much of its region seems to have disappeared as parts of Spain were swamped under unprecedented rainfall.
Once is enough? While there had been suggestions Barcelona might host several America's Cup contests, it seems that just one will do fine, thank you.
Faced with the increasingly human drama of the long countdown to the next Olympics and the bizarre background of the sometimes Godfather-like dealings for the America's Cup staging, it's like a breath of fresh air to consider what are the "known knowns" of the 2025 programme, both in Ireland and abroad.
ROLEX FASTNET RACE CENTENARY STILL TOPS
We make no apology for highlighting yet again the up-coming 2025 Centenary of the Fastnet Race on July 26th 2025. The important Irish input into this classic is now more firmly acknowledged than ever, as the Royal Cork Yacht Club have acquired their late member Harry Donegan's Log of the Cutter Gull in the first Fastnet Race of 1925.
The great innovator – Harry Donegan may have come up with many new ideas for sailing development, including the establishment of the Irish Cruising Club in 1929, but in terms of sailing wear he was distinctly conservative
Gull came third ninety-nine years ago, but while it will soon be a hundred years in the past, there's something so inspiring about everything that Harry Donegan (1870-1940) achieved and recorded that it continues to be very much alive, of relevance to sailors both here and internationally down through the ages, and on into the future.
Harry Donegan's distinctly labour-intensive 17-ton cutter Gull was leading the first Fastnet Race in 1925 at one stage, but was third at the finish
Those who had already been Fastnet racing for some years as a matter of course were almost surprised when the Golden Jubilee Fastnet race came upon us all in 1975, and were frankly astonished when international interest and enthusiasm were such that in Class I alone, 79 boats in a glittering global entry came to the line.
Fastnet Race 1987 winning helm Tim Goodbody racing his family's J/109 White Mischief in Dublin Bay. Photo: Afloat.ie
IRELAND'S TWO FASTNET OVERALL WINS
Then in 1987, Tim Goodbody of the Royal Irish YC was lead helm on the overall winner, the chartered Dubois 40 Irish Independent. And in 2007 there came the ultimate, with Ger O'Rourke of Limerick and the Royal Western of Ireland YC at Kilrush sweeping the Fastnet Race board with his own extremely successful Cookson 50 Chieftain.
Winner every which way. Fastnet Race 2007 supreme champion Chieftain (Ger O'Rourke) powering down the Solent.
In more recent times, however, what might be called the Rolex Fastnet Race imperative has been slightly diluted with Ireland's own alternating biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in odd years, and the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race from Wicklow in the even ones.
IRELAND'S OWN FASTNET RACE ALTERNATIVES
2025's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, as organised since its inception in 1993 by the National Yacht Club, is set for Wednesday June 11th 2025. The theory is that it enables the fleet to get to Dingle in reasonable time to enjoy at least some of the weekend in that hyper-hospitable port. But though some rugged Fastnet and Round Ireland veterans may dismiss the D2D as "Round Ireland Lite", those who race it find you can sometimes get every bit as much of a pasting off the southern half of Ireland's otherwise sublime coast as you can if racing all the way round.
The Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon girl from Kinsale was given extra bells and whistles to upgrade her already successful two-handed performance. Photo: Afloat.ie
Either way, you know you've been well and truly offshore racing by the time you get to Dingle, and the win by Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer from America in 2023 was well matched by the stunning showing of two-handed winners Cian McCarthy & Sam Hunt of Kinsale in the souped-up Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl.
FINE TUNING OF KEELBOAT REGATTA SCHEDULE
Over the years the keelboat regatta schedule has been tuned - and modified if possible - to enable the keen owners and crews to fit in the major venue events while also taking in the signature offshore races. But inevitably a season-long series like the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association programme finds its participants cannot fit in everything that they might wish.
Nevertheless Dun Laoghaire's Peter Ryan and his ISORA colleagues across the channel are at genius level when it comes to making the best of things, and it was a particular source of satisfaction that when their champion emerged in the final race in September, it was the Shanahan family's J/109 Ruth from Dun Laoghaire, still riding high on the overall win in the ISORA-supported Dublin Bay to Cork Harbour Race in July to feed into Volvo Cork Week.
The Shanahan family's J/109 Ruth (National YC) was an outstanding offshore performer offshore in 2024. Photo: Afloat.ie
ICRA NATS INCLUDED IN KINSALE
There won't be a biennial Cork Week in 2025, but the south coast gap is skilfully filled by the Kildare Innovation Campus (shall we make it KIC for short?) Sovereigns Cup Regatta at Kinsale from Wednesday June 25th to Saturday June 28th. It will be a grown-up sort of affair, as it includes the ICRA Nats 2025
VOLVO DUN LAOGHAIRE REGATTA
July is then dominated events-wise by the 20th Anniversary Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2025 from Thursday 10th July to Saturday July 13th. Entries may indeed be open now, but with so many potential participants already based in Dun Laoghaire Harbour or nearby at Greystones or Howth, the long-range weather expectations from a month or so ahead can directly affect enthusiasm. Some boats hold out to the last possible minute before confirming, but serious players are not just only fair weather sailors - they will have stood up to the plate in timely manner, and deserve to do well.
INTERNATIONAL KEELBOAT HIGH AT NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND
The mixed keelboat season's international keelboat high comes not in Ireland, but in the agreeable surroundings of Newport, Rhode Island, and the hospitable setting of Harbour Court, formerly the Newport holiday "cottage" of the Brown family.
"Handy little cottage at Newport, RI". The NYYC's Harbour Court
It has settled very well in its modern role as the New York Yacht Club's summer base, and in September it will be hosting the biennial NYYC Invitational Series, an Inter-club raced in the decidedly sporty Mark Mills-designed ILC 37s.
"CORINTHIANS SAILING LIKE PROS"
The Royal Cork YC and Howth YC have got themselves into the loop on this "Corinthians Sailing Like Pros" classic. Although the 2023 series saw the Irish take one race as first and second, if you so much as sneeze at this level, six good places can evaporate in seconds. So at Howth, Darren Wright already has teams under training.
MOONDUSTER'S RETURN?
But in Ireland's keelboat crowd generally, there's one question which is often thought, but few dare try to voice it, let alone provide an answer. We know that former Moonduster crewmen Derek Holden and John Kavanagh have taken over the 1981 Denis Doyle/German Frers Crosshaven-built icon of offshore racing for restoration from her state of stasis in Trondheim in Norway. But when and where will she reappear alive again in Ireland?
Denis Doyle and Moonduster give the Dun Laoghaire-Dingle their seal of approval in the 1995 Race, when the start was from within Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Photo: Afloat.ie
THE DINGHY SCENE
Among Irish dinghy enthusiasts, those who relish a confrontation are imagining they find a popularity contest between those are drawn to the fresh-out-of-the-box Melges 15, and the longer-established RS400. Either way, it all adds to the rich tableau of life afloat.
THE HOT NEW ANARCHY 15?
But as the great multiple Danish Olympic sailing medallist Paul Elvstrom observed, when he was trying unsuccessfully to introduce a really good new dinghy, in the modern sailing scene it's really difficult unless the boat is supported by a strong class association. Next time out, said he, the Elvstrom plan would be to set up the association first, and go with whatever boat somehow emerges from its crazy deliberations.
Now that's one marvellous idea to fly with. Can you imagine a super-dinghy called the Anarchy 15?
VENERABLE GP 14 ASSOCIATION
Be that as it may, the venerable GP 14 Class Irish Association (looking at 75 years of the class in 2025) is so well established with Andy Johnston in Ireland's key role that they were able to convene their events meeting by Zoom a week ago, and here's their 2025 programme. For anyone who knows the Irish sailing scene and its more entertaining venues, it's clear the Geeps are getting a warmer welcome than the America's Cup:
A strong class association manifesting itself afloat – the GP 14 Worlds at Skerries in 2022.
GP 14 CALENDAR 2025
- April 12-13 RNIYC O'Tiarnaigh Challenge
- May 17-18 East Antrim Boat Club, Larne - Ulster Championship
- Jun 7/8 Cullaun Sailing Club - Munster Championship
- Jun 19/-20 75th Anniversary of GP14 Class
- Jul 12-13 Greystones Saiing Club - Leinster Championship
- Aug 1-8 Tenby - British Nationals
- Aug 22-24 Rush Sailing Club - Championship of Ireland
- Sep 13-14 Blessington Sailing Club - Autumn Open Youth Championship
- Oct 18-19 Antrim Boat Club, Lough Neagh - Hot Toddy
29ER CALENDAR 2025
The "baby 49ers" likewise have a strong background class structure, and they too have come up with the 2025 dates, with the expected international emphasis:
- 29er UK Youth Nationals, Pwllheli, 12-18 April
- 29er Youth Nationals, Royal St George YC, 24-27 April
- 9ers (29er, FX, 49er) Open Nationals, National YC, 3-4-5 May
- 29er Open Europeans, Riva de Garda, 1-8 July
- 9ers (29er, FX, 49er) Southerns, Royal Cork YC, 19-20 July
- 49er U23 Worlds, Copenhagen, 30 july- 8 Aug
- 29er Open Worlds, Portugal, 1-8 Aug
- 9ers Westerns, venue and exact dates in August TBA
- 29er northerns (also RYANI youth event), venue and date TBA in September
- 49er U23 Europeans, Palermo, 6-9 November
- 29er youth worlds, Villamoura, 12-20 December
That's going to be quite the dinghy event at the National YC on 3rd-5th May. Maybe the Irish sailing future starts there, but meanwhile there's a lot to be getting through in the meantime.
International 29ers in action. They and their bigger sisters will be out in strength in Dun Laoghaire at the beginning of May 2025.
