The President of Irish Sailing, Jack Roy, is on a busy schedule at the moment. Today he is in Cill Ronan in the Aran Islands for the opening ceremony and first day of racing in the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association’s Annual Championship. And tomorrow, he’ll be in Dun Laoghaire for the opening festivities and first day of racing in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2017.

With 45 boats entered in the western event, and an additional 20 traditional Galway Hookers expected to be visiting the Aran Islands during the course of the weekend, Kilronan will be busy. But with the turnout in the East Coast’s main event in Dublin Bay now thrusting towards the 490 mark, Dun Laoghaire will simply be heaving.

By last night, the full WIORA fleet had assembled at Cill Ronan in the Aran Islands

Ireland’s biggest sailing event, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, which takes place from tomorrow until Sunday, 9th July 2017, is set to be an exciting four days of racing in Dublin Bay. There will be a fantastic festival atmosphere across the waterfront and Dun Laoghaire town as the four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs come together for the biennial event; Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and Royal St. George Yacht Club.

The area will be a hive of activity for the 7th staging of this event and there will be plenty of action out on the water with over 2,500 participants, 475 boats competing in 35 different classes of boats, large and small, old and new, racing on seven race course areas over the four days of the regatta.

The quality of sailing will be extremely high with some of the country’s top class sailors taking part including Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy. The event attracts yachts from the Netherlands, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, England and all four provinces of Ireland.
Most notably this year there will be a Classic Yacht Division in VDLR 2017 competing for the ‘Kingstown 200’ Bicentenary Cup as part of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Bicentenary Festival.

There will also be a wonderful variety of entertainment around the waterfront for those on land including live music from the St. Maur’s Pipe Band at the East Pier Bandstand. Also on the East Pier will be Marine Artists, Living Earth Photography, Teddy’s Ice-Cream and the Fish Shack and entertainment will be spread out along the waterfront to ensure you’re kept amused at all times!

Dun Laoghaire will be the perfect location for a family day out with the delicious People’s Park Market offering some of the best market food available in Dublin. Volvo Cars Ireland will also be displaying their latest range of cars at The People’s Park, the East Pier and the Harbour Plaza.

The event is also set to bring in a significant amount to the local economy. Using the standard tourism formula, the four day event is expected to bring in €150,000 per day and €600,000 overall across the four days.

Speaking in advance of the event, Tim Goodbody, Chairman of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta said; “As we celebrate the Bicentenary of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, we are looking forward to seeing 2,500 sailors and hundreds of spectators to the 2017 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. This event has grown from strength to strength, and we believe that this year’s instalment will be the finest to date. We will have more than 300 volunteers who give their time and energy to ensure the Regatta runs smoothly, as well as the active cooperation of local area businesses and the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. We look forward to welcoming our sponsors, sailors, and the thousands of spectators to Dublin Bay this weekend.”

David Thomas, Managing Director of Volvo Car Ireland, added; “Having been involved in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta since 2007, we have seen first-hand what a magnificent event this is. The Volvo brand is synonymous with sailing around the world and we are delighted to continue this associated in Ireland with the country’s biggest sailing event. Together with Spirit Motor Group we work to support what we see as important events in the community where our customers live, work and engage in sporting activities as an important part of life. We wish all the participants the best of luck.”

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta takes place from Thursday 6th July until Sunday 9th July 2017.

Director of Racing Con Murphy has signalled a series of changes to the Sailing Instructions for tomorrow's first race of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, Ireland's biggest sailing event.

Over four days, 290 races for a mix of cruiser–racers, one-design keelboats and dinghies, plus a unique classics division, all wrapped up in one Irish Sea sail-fest. Read our preview here. 

The Changes to Sailing Instructions include a new 'offshore' course card for the popular offshore class. 

The GP14 dinghies will now discard the worst score when up to seven races are completed and discard the two worst scores when all eight races scheduled are completed. This is to meet class guidelines for their Leinster Championships.

In the SB20 class, GR10 also applies which means if a boat has to take a penalty for an infringement on the water a 360 degree turn will apply.

For the full change in sailing instructions to date download the addendum below.

Due to the postponement of the Lyver Race last weekend it has be announced that the Royal Dee Jack Ryan Whiskey Irish Sea Offshore Championship will be decided by the four Offshore Class races of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta to take place this week.

All boats entered for the VDLR Offshore Class qualify for the Offshore Championship. Download the flyer attached below.

While the VDLR has only two classes on the Offshore section – IRC and ECHO, the Offshore Championship will have three IRC classes and three ECHO classes.

There will be daily prizes for each class winner that will be presented immediately after the daily VDLR prize giving, to take place in each club. The Overall champions will be awarded two Royal Dee YC Trophies – the “Tide Race Cup” for IRC Overall Champion and the “Mostyn Vicar Memorial Trophy” for the ECHO Champion.

All races can be followed as each boats will have a YB tracker.

With Frank Kowalski’s Safehaven team in Thunder Child in the midst of their challenge for the Round Rockall & Ireland Record, it’s timely to remember that one of the entries in the Classics Division racing for the Kingstown 200 Trophy in this week’s Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta has a very special link with Rockall writes W M Nixon.

Brian Comerford and his family sail their lovely Arthur Robb-designed 37ft yawl Verve from Dun Laoghaire, and compete regularly in classics events, so naturally they’re entered for the Kingstown 200. But Verve – built by Tyrrell’s of Arklow in 1963 for leading Irish Cruising Club sailor Paul Campbell – was much better known in he early days as a voyager which often took in distant places.

Verve also frequently cruised round Ireland, as her owner was for years the Honorary Editor of the Irish Cruising Club Sailing Directions. But in 1975 with noted cruising man Mickey d’Alton and sailor/mountaineer Willie Dick in his ship’s complement, Paul Campbell undertook an unusual venture which started from Donegal.

Made it! Out at Rockall in the summer of 1975, Willie Dick has made it safely onto the cliff face after a very judiciously-timed leap from the little Avon inflatable rowed by Mickey d’Alton

At the time, Britain had laid claim to the 70ft–high Rockall as being an outlier of Scotland, and to reinforce the territorial claim with its many potential economic benefits, had built a small lighthouse on top. But with all access had been made by helicopter. Although there had been attempts before to land by boat on the isolated rock, all had failed.

But Willie Dick had studied the challenge closely, and reckoned he could see a way up if only the sea was calm enough on the day. It was indeed calm on the summer’s day in 1975 when Verve arrived at Rockall, yet even so the restless ocean seemed to tug endlessly at the battered rock face. But with some masterful boat-handling by Mickey d’Alton (he had, after all, commanded a Tank Landing Craft on D Day), Willie Dick managed to leap cleanly from the little Avon inflatable, and the actual climb to the top was soon completed.

Monarch of all he surveys…. Willie Dick on top of Rockall. He was the first person to succeed in landing from a boat, as the lighthouse had been built with the use of helicopters

No matter what Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta organisers did it was never going to be easy to get a quart into a pint pot. Tomorrow's first race will now see 33% of all competing IRC boats in class one. It's the creation of a 'super class' for the biennial regatta, a sign of the popularity of this size of boat.

It will be the test of the season as class one boats gather from across Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales for the VDLR 'Cruisers One' crown. Ironically, the only boats missing – in a who's who line-up of talent – are the winners of May's Scottish Series (J109, Storm, Pat Kelly) and last month's Sovereign's Cup (A35, Fools Gold, Rob McConnell). Read the full IRC one entry list below.

Just how to manage the class breaks in such an impressive but diverse IRC fleet has been occupying the minds of the VDLR committee and its Director of Racing, Con Murphy, an Olympic Games Race Officer from Rio, for some time.

Last week Afloat.ie stuck its neck out on the thorny subject and gave some predictions on class splits and prospective winners. You can read those predictions here.

Afloat.ie pointed to the possibility of moving boats from the very big class one line-up into class zero as a means of dealing with a class double the size of the other IRC classes.

An amendment to the Notice of Race (NOR) published on Monday, however, shows the regatta has instead introduced a sixth IRC class.

'We've ended up with six distinct groups that are of similar speed, rather than six evenly sized fleets', Murphy told Afloat.ie who admits that it has been a vexed question.

It's a move that at first glance seems unnecessary because 88 IRC boats should fit into five classes but it has come about largely as a consequence of the popularity of boats in and around 33–36 feet length and a desire on the part of the J109 fleet to race under IRC rather than as a one design class.

Dublin Bay's own Rockabill VI, the JPK10.80 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race winner will race in class one Photo: Bob Bateman

The net result is VDLR 2017 will set sail with a 'super class' by combining 15 mainly race orientated, well sailed and crewed various designs (JPK 10.80, Corby 33's, Archambault 35's, XP33s, Ker and Mills custom yachts) and then adding to it an uber–competitive 14 x J109 fleet.

VDLR had bowed to the agm–wishes of a 14-strong Dublin Bay J109 fleet as far back as January to allow them race in IRC class one as opposed to a separate class as they had done previously in 2015.

It's been no easy job striking the balance and Murphy has consulted far and wide in trying to reach an equitable solution.

Irish boats racing in the RC35 fleet at the Scottish Series in May. The Scottish class says that having a restricted handicap of 1.015 to 1.040 has encourage tight, competitive racing. Scottish boats will be racing in Dun Laoghaire Photo: Marc Turner

Among the lobbyists, Scottish entries argued against some of their boats being moved into class zero. At May's Scottish Series this 'RC35' group had its own class with four boats from Ireland (including an Irish J109 winner) and the racing was tight and competitive. Having a restricted handicap of 1.015 to 1.040 has encouraged tight, competitive racing and has seen four new owners buy boats to fit into this banding.

If there is a split at VDLR, the new Scottish class argued, it will 'dilute our class and our campaign to encourage its development.'

In correspondence seen by Afloat.ie, other skippers argued, however, that class one's higher rated yachts (of 1.045) will make racing 'grossly unfair' as such boats will get 'clear air off the start line while the balance of the relatively level rated fleet will fight for clear air throughout the race and arrive at marks in unison. Meanwhile, the faster boats 'get richer', one Dublin Bay skipper pointed out.

The problem for Murphy is that the bottom of class one fleet is all J109s so there is 'nobody left to move down to class two'. There is a big gap between 1.045 and class zero so moving such boats into class zero would give them 'poor racing'.

If VDLR did move to split class one, it would leave the J109s racing with just one other class one type yacht.

To say the least, the question has put the organisers between a rock and a hard place.

In one sense, of course, it's a good problem to have because so many other regattas these days have been scratching around looking for entries.

As an additional consideration for organisers, this year's VDLR programme will also feature more racing, up to three races per day, so there is a big onus on VDLR to keep fleets together in order to turn races around quickly.

The net result is VDLR 2017 will now have 29 of the 88 boats in class one, that's 33% of all competing IRC boats.

Start lines

It's an imbalance that admittedly could have unintended consequences for class zero, one and two racing that are racing on the same courses.

For example, how do you set proper lines when class zero will start with five boats and, on the same line, class one will start with 29?

Do they make the line too small for the big class? Or if they make it the right length for the larger class, it will be huge (estimated at 400 metres) for the small class, thus allowing boats that don't start well, the chance to get great starts. It's something Murphy acknowledges and as a means of dealing with the issue he will be using pin end committee boats instead of a buoy to facilitate the setting of the suitably long line for the big class one.

'We plan to set appropriately long start lines and 1.5 mile or longer first beats for the fleet to help reduce bunching at marks' 

Equally, Murphy is also investigating the possibility of tying to put in a shorter line for the smaller zero fleet but that will be a tricky thing to achieve within the starting sequence timeframe.

Boat of the Regatta

Another consequence might be its affect on one of the great VDLR traditions and that is its popular 'overall yacht of the week' prize. It's a prestigious award, especially this year when drawn from a total fleet of a near record entry of 473 entries.

How can someone be expected to dominate such a competitive class as class one when it is likely another eight or nine boat classes may produce a dominating boat? It's a factor for organisers to consider because the status of the regatta is diminished if IRC classes are not in the running for this top prize.

Class two and three

Moving down the bands, there are now 17 boats in class two yet only nine in class three. It is, perhaps, a reasonable question to ask why these two classes cannot be combined to make it a 26–boat fleet? If VDLR did this, the spread between the fastest boat and slowest boat would be 57 points. In class one, as they have it now, the spread between fastest and slowest is 50 points.

The answer, says Murphy, after extensive consultation, is that class three is largely made up of vintage –yet modified – Half–Tonners and it is 'unfair to put them with modern class two yachts' because of potential speed differentials.

Racing gets under way tomorrow afternoon.

Cruiser Class One – The Entries

Animal Royal Northern and Clyde YC GBR3627L First 36.7 1.021 Kevin Aitken

Banshee Clyde Cruising Club GBR9470R Corby 33 1.040 Charlie Frize

Bon Exemple Royal Irish Yacht Club GBR8933R X-Yachts 1.017 Colin Byrne

Carmen II Helensburgh Sailing Club IRL1666 First 36.7 1.019 Alan Jeffrey

Ruth National Yacht Club IRL1383 J109 1.015 Shanahan Family

Something Else National Yacht Club IRL29213 J109 1.011 John Hall

Chimaera Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL2160 J109 1.015 Andrew Craig

Jalapeno National Yacht Club IRL5109 J109 1.014 Paul Barrington

Jigamaree Royal Irish Yacht Club IR7991 J109 1.011 Ronan Harris

Joker 2 Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL1206 J109 1.013 John Maybury

Juggerknot Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL3660 J109 1.017 Andrew Algeo

Jump The Gun Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL1129 J109 1.012 John Kelly

Indecision Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL9898 J109 TBA Declan Hayes

Powder Monkey 2 National Yacht Club IRL28898 J109 1.009 Christopher Moore

D-Tox Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL13500 X 35 1.043 Patrick McSwiney

Gringo National Yacht Club Irl 7778 A 35 1.023 Anthony Fox

Impostor South Caernarvonshire YC GBR7377 Corby 33 1.035 Richard Fildes

Jacob VII Port Edgar IRL3307 Corby 33 1.039 John Stamp

Now or Never 3 Fairlie Yacht Club GBR7667R MAT 1010 1.032 Neill Sandford

Prima Luce Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL3504 First 35 1.017 Patrick Burke

Raptor Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL811 Mills 30CR 1.013 Denis Hewitt

Rockabill VI Royal Irish Yacht Club IRL10800 JPK 10.80 1.048 Paul O’Higgins

Thalia National Yacht Club IRL733 Sigma 400 1.035 Aubrey Leggett

Triple Elf Clyde Cruising Club FRA37296 Beneteau First 35 1.020 Christine Murray

Valkerie Liverpool Yacht Club GBR7031T Ker 31 1.027 Austin Harbison

White Mischief Royal Irish YC/National YC GBR1242R J109 1.010 Richard Goodbody

Wavetrain Greystones Sailing Club IRL 1477 Channel 32 1.014 Frank Whelan

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta early bird entry closed on Friday, reaching 400 entries for the July event. Entry remains open but without the discounted rate.

2,500 sailors are expected to race across 22 classes making it Ireland's biggest regatta but also one of Ireland’s biggest participant sporting events when the first gun fires on July 6.

The 30% discount was extended until last Friday following technical difficulties with the event website. 

74 different Sailing Clubs drawn from across Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland and Isle of Man are involved.

Only once since its inaugural outing in 2005 have numbers dipped below 400 for the biennial sailfest and that was in the teeth of recession in 2013. But even then the fleet only dropped to 393, just 93 lower than 2007's record of 486. With 400 boats already signed up, could 2017 could threaten that record ten year record and bring numbers closer to the elusive 500? 

It would be entirely appropriate timing given the harbour's special anniversary. Entries are stronger than expected this year as all four Dun Laoghaire yacht clubs bang the drum for the harbour's bicentenary year. A special 'Kingstown 200' Cup will be presented to the winner of the regatta's classic boat division that includes a 'parade of sail'.

All the latest news on our dedicated regatta page here

As Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta readies for its official launch on Wednesday, early bird numbers for for Ireland's biggest sailing regatta continue to grow with over half the expected total fleet of 400 boats now signed up, four months before the first gun on July 6.

It's a satisfying result for regatta chairman Tim Goodbody of the Royal Irish Yacht Club who will toast the ongoing success of the biennial event that first set sailed in 2005.

The biennial event is masterminded by all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront clubs and has become the major sailing fixture on the Irish Sea.

This summer's edition will incorporate a 'Kingstown 200' Anniversary Cup marking the bicentenary of Dun Laoghaire Harbour. A special classic boat regatta, shaping up to be the biggest of its kind in Irish waters, will sail as part of the four day event and includes a harbour 'Parade of Sail' on Saturday, July 8 as a highlight.

The strong flow of early entries were secured by a generous discount (of 30%) system if skippers enter before March 31st. When entries opened in December, 30 entries were received in the first week. By January, 18 boats from 180 entries listed were awarded a free entry after a draw among 'super early bird entries'.

The 232–boat entry so far is of course boosted by Dun Laoghaire's own local fleet but there is a big travelling contingent from across the Irish Sea too. Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man are all racing at Dun Laoghaire. This is on top of boats traveling from all four coasts of Ireland.

Goodbody says 'we have a number of National and Regional events within the overall regatta which makes it more attractive for many to travel and compete'.

VDLR 2017 Entries to date

Class	Boat Name	Sail Number	First Name	Surname	Home Club
420		GBR 54979	Daniel	Thompson	Wexford Harbour Boat & Tennis Club
420		IRL 56032	Nicola	Ferguson	National Yacht Club
Beneteau 211	Small Wonder	IRL 7007	Hugh	Kelly	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Beneteau 211	MonReve	IRL2113	Brian	Stewart	Malahide Yacht Club
Beneteau 211	Chinook	IRL2121	Andrew	Bradley	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Beneteau 211	Carousel	362	Derek	Beddows	Windemere Motor Boat Racing Club
Beneteau 211	Carna	GBR4167L	Stu	Spence	Clyde Cruising Club
Beneteau 211	Ventuno	IRL 2111	Rowan	Fogarty	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Beneteau 211	Wild Thing	IRL 1363	Louis	Byrne	Tralee Bay Sailing Club
Beneteau 211	Billy Whiz	IRL2170	Pat	Shannon	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Beneteau 31.7	Levante	IRL3107	John	Power	National Yacht Club
Beneteau 31.7	Crazyhorse	IRL2004	Frank	Heath	Royal Irish YC / Royal St George YC
Beneteau 31.7	Prospect	Irl 1565	Chris	Johnston	National Yacht Club
Beneteau 31.7	Camira	IRL 2474	Peter	Beamish	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Beneteau 31.7	Extreme Reality	IRL 6909	Lorcan	Balfe	National Yacht Club
Beneteau 31.7	Eauvation	GBR7221T	Jason	Corlett	Isle Of Man Yacht Club
Beneteau 31.7	Fiddly Bits	IRL 5317	Bill	Quigley	National Yacht Club
Beneteau 31.7 (Scratch & ECHO)	Bluefin Two	IRL6662	Michael	Bryson	National Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy	Samphire	none	John	Keogh	Other...
Classic Dinghy	No Name	10	Fiacc	OBrolchain	Other...
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	Atomic	14/71	Donal	Heney	Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	Dubious	14/134	Simon	Revill	Sutton Dinghy Club
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	Doody	14/137	John	Fitzgerald	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	Starfish	38	Alan	Carr	Sutton Dinghy Club
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	Diane	14/122	Brian	Murphy	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	Dunmoanin	140	Frank	Hamilton	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	Smurfette	14/126	Charles	Sargent	Sutton Dinghy Club
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	DART	161	Mr	Long	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: IDRA 14	Sapphire	138	Lorcan	O'Sullivan	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Mermaid	Aideen	21	Brendan	Martin	National Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Mermaid	The Message	185	Ross	Galbraith	Skerries Sailing Club
Classic Dinghy: Mermaid	Gentoo	186	Brian	McNally	Skerries Sailing Club
Classic Dinghy: Mermaid	Three Chevrons	119	Vincent	Mc Cormack	Foynes Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Mermaid	Lively Lady	73	Geraldine	O'Neill	National Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Mermaid	Jill	134	Paul	Smith	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Mermaid	Tiller Girl	77	Jonathan	O'Rourke	National Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Shannon One Design		178	Finn	Murphy	National Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Waterwag	Chloe	34	Kate	O'Leary	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Waterwag	Mollie	41	Cathy	Mac Aleavey	National Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Waterwag	Mariposa	45	Claudine	Murphy	National Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Waterwag	Little Tern	36	Tim	Pearson	Royal St George Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Waterwag	Swift	38	Guy	Kilroy	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Waterwag	Marcia	37	Brendan	McCormack	National Yacht Club
Classic Dinghy: Waterwag	Mademoiselle	46	Adam	Winkelmann	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Classic Keelboat	Peggy Bawn - Watson 1894 Cutter	None	Hal	Sisk	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Classic Keelboat	Drascombe Coaster - Tyboat	IRL1640	Jack	O'Keeffee	Other...
Classic Keelboat: Howth 17	Eileen	16	Rima	Macken	Howth Yacht Club
Classic Keelboat: Howth 17	Oona	17	Peter	Courtney	Howth Yacht Club
Classic Keelboat: Howth 17	Aura	7	Ian	Malcolm	Howth Yacht Club
Classic Keelboat: Howth 17	Isobel	19	Conor	Turvey	Howth Yacht Club
Classic Keelboat: Howth 17	Silver Moon	5	Susan	Morgan	Howth Yacht Club
Classic Keelboat: Cornish Shrimper	Purple Haze	369	Kevin	Collins	Sligo Yacht Club
Classic Keelboat: Cornish Shrimper	Scallywag	750	Olivier	Prouveur	National Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Checkmate XVIII	GBR66R		Performance Solutions Ltd	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	White Mischief	GBR1242R	Richard	Goodbody	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Rockabill VI	IRL 10800	Paul	O'Higgins	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	D-TOX	IRL 13500	Patrick	McSwiney	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Dux	Irl988	Anthony	Gore-Grimes	Howth Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Forty Licks	GBR 4041R	Jay	Colville	East Down Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Kamikaze	IRL 8223	Peter	Nash	Royal St George Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Juggerknot	IRL 3660	Andrew	Algeo
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Chimaera	IRL2160	Andrew	Craig	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Injenious	GBR2728L	Mike	Crompton	South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Checkmate XV	IRL2016	David	Cullen	Howth Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	RAPTOR	IRL 811	DENIS	HEWITT	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Jigamaree	IR7991	Ronan	Harris	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Eazi tiger	2909	Jonathan	Oliver	Liverpool Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	JACOB VII	IRL3307	John	Stamp	Port Edgar Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	TRIPLE ELF	FRA37296	Christine	Murray	Clyde Cruising Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Wynward	irl307	McCormack	Family	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Chase Me	397	John	Raughter	Bray Sailing Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	STARGAZER	GBR4203	ANGUS	CAMPBELL	Arran Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Movistar Bleu	GBR 8747	Raymond	Killops	Killyleagh Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Starflash	GBR7149	Alan	Morrison	Ballyholme YC / Royal Ulster YC
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Cacciatore	IRL8069	Mairead	Ni Cheallachain	National Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Now or Never 3	GBR7667R	Neill	Sandford	Fairlie Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Aurora	GBR 7737R	Roderick	Stuart	Clyde Cruising Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Indecision	IRL 9898	Declan	Hayes	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	TBA	IRL1103	Kevin	Darmody	Howth Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Alpaca	IRL 35221	Paul & Deirdre	Tingle	Royal Cork Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Jump The Gun	IRL 1129	John	Kelly	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Prima Luce	IRL 3504	Patrick	Burke	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Ruthless	IRL26026	Conor	Ronan	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Challenger	IRL6556	Paul	Rossiter	Howth Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Fusion	IRL2552	Richard	Colwell	Howth Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	SOMETHING ELSE	IRL 29213	JOHN	HALL	National Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Samurai J	GBR9292c	Alan	Macleod	Cove Sailing Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Boomerang	IRL1367	Family	Kirwan	Royal St George Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Jalapeno	IRL5109	Paul	Barrington	National Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Maximus	IRL 7495	Paddy	Kyne	Howth Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Joker 2	IRL 1206	John	Maybury	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	ShakerMaker	GBR 7031T	Austin	Harbison	Liverpool Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Apache	1192c	Jonathan	Gifford	Quoile Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Dubious	1654	Peter	Richardson	Royal Cork YC / Royal Irish YC / Royal St George YC
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Fait accompli	Gbr 7707	Charlie	McAllister	Antrim Boat Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Axiom	IRL 3709	Michael	O'Neill	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Happy	GBR 9518	Ian	Macdonald	Clyde Cruising Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Carmen11	IRL 1666	Alan	Jeffrey	Helensburgh Sailing Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Running Wild	IRL 9538	Brendan	Foley	Royal St George Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	Maranda	11	Myles	Kelly	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO)	X-Rated	IRL7066	John	Gordon	Mayo Sailing Club / Royal St George YC
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO) - 0.912 > TCC > 0.820	K-Nine	IRL 9541	Enda	Mulvihill	Howth Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO) - 0.912 > TCC > 0.820	Asterix	8245N	Frazer	Meredith	Other...
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO) - 0.912 > TCC > 0.820	Kahera	IRL9554	Russell	Camier	Malahide Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO) - 0.912 > TCC > 0.820	Autism on the Water	GBR 749	Murray	MacDonald	Other...
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO) - 0.979 > TCC > 0.913	kodachi	irl2706	Rick	De Neve	Howth Yacht Club
Cruiser (IRC & ECHO) - TCC > 0.980, LOA < 12m	Powder Monkey 2	IRL28898	Christopher	Moore	Other...
Dragon	DCision	195	Joey	Mason	Royal St George Yacht Club
Dragon	ZinZan	IRL 127	Tim	Carpenter	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Dragon	Phantom	176	David	Williams	Royal St George Yacht Club
Fife	PEGGY	14	Tak	Kershaw	Other...
Fife	SIAN	No 1	Richard	Tudor	Other...
Fife	Fiona	41	Nicki	Yates	Other...
Fireball	LICENCE TO THRILL	IRL15007	LOUIS	SMYTH	Coal Harbour
Flying Fifteen	Derranged	IRL 3665	Neil	Colin	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Flying Fifteen	FFASTIDIOTS	3837	Peter	Cronin	National Yacht Club
Flying Fifteen	Gruffalo	IRL3864	Keith	Poole	National Yacht Club
Flying Fifteen	Perfect Ten	IRL3995	Alan	Balfe	National Yacht Club
Flying Fifteen	No Name	4045	Gerry	Ryan	Other...
Glen	Glen Luce	G67	Richard	O'Connor	Royal St George Yacht Club
Glen	GlenDun	G9	David	Houlton	Royal St George Yacht Club
Glen	Glenshesk	G1	Liz	Faulkner	Royal St George Yacht Club
GP14	Trouble on the way	TBA	Curly	Morris	East Antrim Boat Club
GP14		14074	Cathal	Sheridan	Skerries Sailing Club
GP14	Kalaco	14130	Hugh	Gill	Sutton Dinghy Club
GP14		14116	Peter	Boyle	Sutton Dinghy Club
GP14		TBC	Keith	Louden	Irish Sailing Association
GP14	Southern Wild	13353	Des	MacMahon	Cullaun Sailing Club
GP14		13782	Michael	Collender	Mullingar Sailing Club
GP14	Duffi	14047	JP	McCladin	Lough Erne Yacht Club / Sligo Yacht Club
GP14	Com-adee	14165	Neil	Boyd	Donaghadee Sailing Club
GP14	kylie	14133	Jack	Buttimer	Youghal Sailing Club
GP14		13852	Alan	Pinder	Mullingar Sailing Club
GP14		14138	SIMON	CULLY	Blessington Sailing Club
GP14	cloud nine	13981	Richard	Street	Blessington Sailing Club
GP14	None	14143	John	McGuinness	Moville Boat Club
GP14		14203	Shane	MacCarthy	Greystones Sailing Club
GP14	No Surprise	14144	Colman	Grimes	Skerries Sailing Club
GP14		14209	Richard	Gallagher	Lough Foyle Yacht Club
GP14	joe batts arm	13466	Matthew	Street	Blessington Sailing Club
GP14	Temerity	13977	Alan	Blay	Sutton Dinghy Club
J24	Jelignite	IRL4218	Finbarr	Ryan	Lough Ree Yacht Club
J24	Hard on Port	IRL 4794	Flor	O'Driscoll	Royal St George Yacht Club
J24	Jumpin' Jive	IRL 3060	Mark	Usher	Greystones Sailing Club
J24	Jana	397	Gerard	Gilligan	Sligo Yacht Club
J24	Crazyhorse	IRL4533	Martin	Reilly	Sligo Yacht Club
J24	Luder Too	4009	Gerard	Brady	Sligo Yacht Club
J24	Bád	IRL4628	Steve	Atkinson	Carrickfergus Sailing Club
J24	YaGottaWanna	IRL5098	Dave/Sinead	Lane/Enright	Royal Cork Yacht Club
Mermaid	Maybe	191	Paddy	Archer	Other...
Mixed Sportsboats	Supergroove	GBR4100L	Ronan	Stack	Arklow Sailing Club
Mixed Sportsboats	Jester	IRL 8750	Declan	Curtin	National Yacht Club
Mixed Sportsboats	Zelus	IRL1540	Conor	Maguire	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Mixed Sportsboats	Jambiya	GBR605	Vincent	Lattimore	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Mixed Sportsboats	HYC 5 - Try Racing Team	GBR 527	Noel	Davidson	Howth Yacht Club
Mixed Sportsboats	Pris	IRL 1527	Colman	Billings	National Yacht Club
Mixed Sportsboats	Big Bad Wolf	1793	David	Ryan	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Mixed Sportsboats	Jheetah	IRL 070	Andrew	Sarratt	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Mixed Sportsboats	Merlin	IRL 1818	Ian	Cummins	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Mixed Sportsboats	Finding Saoirse	1773	National	Yacht Club	National Yacht Club
Moth	DBS	IRL 3632	Jim	Devlin	Royal St George Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Act Two	IRL4250	Michael	O'Leary	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Vespucci	IRL1502	Sean & Kristina	O'Regan	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Poppy	GBR4183	John	Roberts	Whitehaven Sailing & Boating Association
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Edenpark	IRL1166	Liam	Farmer	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Spirit	3950	Colin	O'Brien	Royal St George Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Just Jasmin	IRL3506	Philip	Smith	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Persistance	8237	Charles	Broadhead	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	REBELLION	IRL 6001	John J. Hughes	Hughes	National Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Calypso	IRL5643	Howard	Knott	Royal St George Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Katienua	IRL 2035	Conor	Mc Guinness	Royal St George Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	cevantes	irl 932	Paul	Conway	Royal St George Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	The Great Escape	IRL 1217	Patrick	Rigney	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Afternoon Delight	IRL 3202	Michael	Bennett	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Bite the Bullet	3335 C	Colm	Bermingham	Howth Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	White Lotus	IRL 1333	Paul	Tully	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Nyamadzi	Smc9	Frank	Fegan	Bray Sailing Club
Non-Spinnaker Cruiser	Nirvana	IRL3104	Bernard	Neeson	Royal St George Yacht Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	AQUAPLANE	GBR7878L	Mark	Thompson	Pwllheli Sailing Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Mojito	GBR9047R	Peter	Dunlop	Pwllheli Sailing Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Aurelia	IRL35950	Chris & Patanne	Power Smith	Royal St George Yacht Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Black Velvet	IRL 3471	Leslie	Parnell	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Pleione of Dee	GBR3573L	Derek R	Matthews	Royal Dee Yacht Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Warrior	IRL8478	Dave	Shanahan	Dublin Bay Sailing Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Magic Touch	IRL 44444	Steve	Hayes	Bray Sailing Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	WOW	IRL4208	George	Sisk	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Pipedreamer VI	GBR2271L	Paul	Sutton	Holyhead Sailing Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Lively Lady	IRL 1644	Derek	Martin	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Tsunami	IRL4007	Vincent	Farrell	National Yacht Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Ulula	GBR8911R	Nick	Ogden	Liverpool Yacht Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Sgrech	GBR9036	Stephen	Tudor	Pwllheli Sailing Club
Offshore Cruiser (IRC)	Jackknife	GBR8859R	Andrew	Hall	Pwllheli Sailing Club
Ruffian 23	Alias	525	Martin	McCarthy	National Yacht Club
Ruffian 23	Bandit	IRL3333	Ann	Kirwan	National Yacht Club
Ruffian 23	Ruff Diamond	IRL 155	John	Dooney	Sailing in Dublin
Ruffian 23	Ruff Justice	IRL 404	Pat	O'Dowd	Royal Irish Yacht Club
SB20	Smoke on the Water	IRL3320	Bob	Hobby	Royal Irish YC / Royal St George YC
SB20	SACREBLEU	3164	RICHARD	HAYES	Royal Irish Yacht Club
SB20	Alert Packaging	3717	Justin	Burke	National Yacht Club
SB20	venuesworld.com	IRL 3739	Ger	Dempsey	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Shipman		IR 270	Derek	Madden
Shipman	Barossa	IRL753	Stuart	Trotter	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Shipman	Bluefin	1223	Brendan	Finucane	National Yacht Club
Shipman	INVADER	IRL3221	Gerard	Glynn	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Shipman	Viking	IRL 409	Dr Fergus	Mason	Royal St George Yacht Club
Shipman	Viking	IRL 409	Brian	Glynn	Royal St George Yacht Club
Shipman	The Den	507	Aisling	Costello	Royal Cork YC / Royal Irish YC / Royal St George YC
Shipman	Jo Slim	528	John D	Clarke	Royal St George Yacht Club
Sigma 33	Legless Again	GBR4348	Dave	Hughes	Liverpool Yacht Club
Sigma 33	Springer	IRL 4464	Ian	Bowring	Royal St George Yacht Club
Sigma 33	Elandra	IRL4536	Joe	Conway	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Sigma 33	Gwili Two	IRL 4534	Dermot	Clarke	Royal Irish YC / Royal St George YC
Sigma 33	Sea-Pie of Cultra	GBR 4254	Jeremy	Colman	Manx Sailing & Cruising Club
Sigma 33	Leaky Roof 2	GBR 4607	Alan	Harper	Cove Sailing Club
Sigma 33	Rupert	IRL 4518	Richard	Lovegrove	Royal St George Yacht Club
Sigma 33	Leeuwin	IRL 971	Henry	Leonard	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Sigma 33	Whit mischief	Irl 4633	John	Doyle	Arklow Sailing Club
Sigma 33	Squawk	GBR 8148	Paul	Prentice	Ballyholme YC / Royal Ulster YC
Sigma 33	Obsession	4513	John	Dooney	Sailing in Dublin
Sigma 33	Partisan	K5690	Dan	Lewis	Neyland Yacht Club
Squib	FOX	738	Michael	Moran	Royal St George Yacht Club
Squib	TOY for the boys	818	PETER	WALLACE	Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club
Squib	Tears in Heaven	869	Michele	Halpenny	Royal Irish Yacht Club / National Yacht Club
Squib	Periquin	48	Noel	Colclough	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
Squib	Little Demon	95	Sheila	Power	Royal St George Yacht Club
Waterwag	Marie Louise	9	John J	Magner	Royal Irish Yacht Club
Waterwag	peggy	47	David	Corcoran	National Yacht Club
Wayfarer	Mistral II	W10935	Margie	Crawford	East Down Yacht Club
Wayfarer	ANAMCARA	10952	John	Turner	Ramor Watersports Club
Wayfarer	Seadhna	10826	Margaret	Hynes	Cullaun Sailing Club
Wayfarer	Lakka	11152	Monica	Schaefer	Greystones Sailing Club
Wayfarer	Lightning	W10934	Seamus	O'Cleirigh	Greystones Sailing Club

Ireland will be the base for the Nigel Biggs Checkmate XVIII Half Ton campagin this season with a programme that includes the ICRA Nationals, Sovereigns Cup, Dun Laoghaire Regatta and the Half Ton Cup in Kinsale.

In a previous Irish campaign, Biggs was the overall winner of the 2013 'Boat of the Week' at a massive Dun Laoghaire Regatta edition with seven straight wins in class two.

Biggs's 'new' Half–Tonner that is currently very much a work in progress (see photo above) is the old Emiliano Zapata, ex Dick Dastardly, ex French Beret, ex Concorde from 1985. As with his previous two successful half–tonners (Harmony and Checkmate XV) she has been 'breathed on' by Wicklow yacht designer Mark Mills with a revised sailplan and keel. All the work is being undertaken at his team base near Bangor in North Wales and he anticipates launching early May.

Having campaigned his C&C 30 in the US in the US last year, (debuting in Dun Laoghaire in 2015) Biggs say his 12–year–old daughter had been nagging him to get a boat over this side of the Atlantic so she could sail with him more often. 'What father could refuse such a request?' he told Afloat.ie

Checkmate XVIII boat will be sailed by his usual team, some of whom have sailed together for over 20 years and some of whom have only joined over the last couple of years ( Dun Laoghaire's Adam Hyland and Cian Guilfoyle) plus his daughter, of course.

There could well be as many opinions as to what constitutes a true classic or traditional boat as there are owners of these often highly individual craft. As part of the celebration of the Bicentenary of Dun Laoghaire Harbour – where the first stone was officially laid by the Viceroy on 31st May 1817 - the organisers of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2017 (it’s from July 6th to 9th) will be including a Classics, Traditional and Old Gaffer section. This will, in addition to putting extra emphasis on older classes already regularly involved such as the Glens, the Mermaids, the Howth 17s, the IDRA 14s and the Water Wags, be extending a welcome to older boats of other types, and to classic classes from Ireland and around the Irish Sea. W M Nixon reports on progress in this special feature of a very attractive new dimension to Ireland’s biggest sailing event.

If you want anything done in introducing a new twist to sailing, make Cathy MacAleavey the organiser of the special sub-committee in charge of moving things along. And if you want to be sure things are going in the right direction as regards classics and traditional craft, make sure that that Hal Sisk is being consulted and will be personally involved in one or maybe all of his classic craft, for the contribution he has made to the appreciation of our boat heritage in Ireland is unmatched.

Former Olympic sailor and round Ireland record holder Cathy is now herself very much a mover and shaker in the classics, as she has built a Water Wag and a Shannon One Design working alongside the great Jimmy Furey of Leecarrow in Roscommon, and races regularly in both classes.

On being appointed to this completely new post last Autumn by top honcho Tim Goodbody, Chair of the overall Organising Committee, one of the first things she remembered was that while taking part in the Glandore Classics some years ago, she’d been much taken with the Fife One Designs from the Menai Straits, little gems some 24ft 6ins LOA whose design origins go back to 1926, and have been thriving as a class since the 1930s.

The Royal Anglesey Fifes racing in the Menai Straits. Although the class was first designed in 1926, and gained full strength early in the 1930s, this will be their first visit to Dun Laoghaire. Photo: Ian bradley
These days they hunt as a pack and many of them are well organised for road trailing, so on the assumption that they would be heading to the Glandore Classics 2017 on July 23rd, she sent an email to class chairman Richard Tudor suggesting that they might like to take in Dun Laoghaire on the way. It turns out that they won’t be at Glandore in late July as they’re expected to take part in the four yearly Celtic Festival in the Menai Straits at much the same time. But their diary was reasonably clear for the 6th to 9th of July and the Dun Laoghaire festivities, and they’re coming to race for the new Kingstown Cup big time.

This is doubly interesting, for they’re very much a William Fife design and only six inches shorter than the Alfred Mylne-designed Glens, yet the two comparable classes have never raced in the same event. Needless to say the chances of an inter-fleet race in Dun Laoghaire is now high on the agenda.

An Alfred Mylne-designed Glen Class OD on her home waters of Dublin Bay in the kind of conditions everyone hopes for in July 2017.

The Glen class neatly demonstrate their need for traditional moorings in their allocated area off the Royal St George YC

The 1898 Howth 17s will be coming in force from Howth, but they’ve adapted the programme to suit their needs, with a race from Howth to Dun Laoghaire on the Friday, a full day’s racing on the Saturday, a morning race on the Sunday, and then a race home after the prize-giving ceremony.

So at a stroke, Cathy had given wings to the new event. But at the same time she was casting a fly over Hal Sisk, against whom she regularly races in the Water Wags, but who had his 1894 Watson-designed, Hilditch-built 36ft classic gaff cutter Peggy Bawn on the market, as more than ten years have elapsed since his team completed the wellnigh perfect restoration of this boat in 2005.

Peggy Bawn had been based in Dun Laoghaire Harbour continuously since 1919, and then after her restoration, she became a much-admired feature in classic regattas on both sides of the Atlantic. To say that Hal Sisk has done his duty by her is under-stating the case, yet when Cathy approached him about making Peggy Bawn the centrepiece of the VDLR Classics Regatta, he said he’d already decided to do so, and was looking forward to it very much.

Peggy Bawn in her newly-restored form in 2005. Anyone contemplating a similar project should spend hours studying this image……Photo W M Nixon

While all this was going on in the background, one of the members of Cathy’s sub-committee, Guy Kilroy, was constructing a database of all the classic and traditional classes within Ireland or within reasonable reach. Although most of them are very location-specific and few have the trailers for a long road journey, you just never know who might be swept up in the general enthusiasm for an event which is really beginning to buzz, and certainly the exotic Shannon One Designs will be turning up in strength.

Meanwhile, there’s the mysterious territory which is the Old Gaffer’s Association, which came into being in 1963 when people realised there wasn’t any organisation looking after the needs of boats which weren’t really classics in the strictest sense, yet fitted into so many other categories that they almost defied definition.

Ironically, the OGA was founded in the very year that Dublin Bay’s perfect exemplars of the gaff-rigged racing cutter, the Dublin Bay 21s, changed over to Bermudan rig. Yet as the 2013 Golden Jubilee Round Britain and Ireland cruise of the OGA showed, the Old Gaffers thrive as never before. And as it happened, in 2015 and 2016 the President of the overall Old Gaffers Association was Dun Laoghaire’s own Sean Walsh, owner-skipper of the very gaff-rigged Heard 28 Tir na nOg.

But Sean was due to stand down as President in London in January 14th 2017 – last weekend, in other words. Fortunately, there was just time to convene a meeting of key people before that happened, and a gathering in the NYC of Sean Walsh, Dublin Bay OGA President Denis Aylmer, Ian Malcolm of the Howth Seventeen and Water Wag classes, and Cathy MacAleavey and her husband Con Murphy, did a lot to improve mutual understanding and clarify the in-port needs of Old Gaffers, which are different from those of Classics, which are in turn very different from those of easily-manoeuvred modern craft with auxiliary engines.

A meeting of minds. At the key gathering to assess the needs of the Old Gaffers Association were (left to right) Denis Aylmer (President Dublin Bay OGA), Sean Walsh (President, OGA), Ian Macolm (Howth 17 and Water Wag classes), Cathy MacAleavey, and Con Murphy. Photo: W M Nixon

Even before Sean and his team had left for London for the OGA changeover, the word had come through from Paul Keogh, skipper of the Clondalkin community-owned-and-built full-size Galway Hooker Naomh Cronan, that he and his crew would be delighted to take part in Dun Laoghaire in July.

This was another key decision, for the Naomh Cronan is now the only full-sized traditional Galway type on the Irish Sea. But while the great hooker voyager Paddy Barry now sails the seas in a 45ft Frers-designed cutter, it was also confirmed that he too would be taking part, as crew aboard Sean Walsh’s Tir n nOg.

The Clondalkin community-built Galway Hooker Naomh Cronan. Her commitment to the Dun Laoghaire Traditional regatta has greatly encouraged the organisers. Photo: W M Nixon

Sean Walsh’s Heard 28 Tir n nOg in racing mode. In Dun Laoghaire in July 2017, his crew will include legendary Galway hooker voyager Paddy Barry. Photo: Dave Owens

So the main building blocks of a great event are now going into place, and it’s a matter of building on this sound foundation. With the organisers fully aware of the need to provide proper liaison officers for each special group or class, the need for designated berthing between the Carlisle Pier and the East Pier is also being addressed, as it is the most suitable space, and has the bonus of providing the best possible public view of some of the most interesting-looking boats around.

Thus invitations are on their way to the likes of Scott and Ruth Metcalfe with their characterful schooner Vilma on the Menai Straits, and Mike Clark with his traditional Manx nobby White Heather at Peel in the Isle of Man.

The Menai Straits-based schooner Vilma (Scott & Ruth Metcalf) is exactly the kind of vessel the Dun Laoghaire event is aimed at. Photo: W M Nixon

Mike Clark’s Manx Nobby White Heather
At the other end of the Isle of Man is Joe Pennington with his restored Manx longliner Master Frank, an asset to any regatta, while across in Strangford Lough Dickie Gomes may have his 1912-built 36ft Kearney yawl Ainmara on the market after 51 years of ownership, but if she doesn’t move he says he is on for Dun Laoghaire.

For several years. Ainmara was Dun Laoghaire-based, but the Dun Laoghaire class which everyone would most particularly welcome back would be the Dublin Bay 24s which raced in the bay from 1947 to 2004. Here’s a rough-cut vid from their final race in the bay in 2004, since then they’ve been taken to Brittany in hope of restoration, but only one has had the complete job done. Originally called Periwinkle, she is now re-named Grace, and is based at Douarnenez, but if she could be persuaded back to Dublin Bay for July 2017, who knows what doors might be opened.

The restored Dublin Bay 24 Grace (ex-Periwinkle) is now reported to be based in Douarnenenz, but she would be very welcome back in Dublin Bay

Boats of a very different kind came centre stage many years ago in another Hal Sisk initiative, the Bantry Boats built to the design of the ship’s longboat left behind in Bantry after the unsuccessful French invasion of 1796. From the new involvement came the Atlantic Challenge, and you’ll find Bantry Boats at many ports, though there are few enough of them in Ireland. But the Dun Laoghaire festivities would provide an ideal opportunity for them, as the final day of the regatta, Sunday 9th July, is also being pencilled in for a full-on traditional rowing competition for the East Coast Skiffs.

The Pembrokeshire Bantry Boat sailing off the coast of southwest Wales. Some racing for these very special craft is another proposal for the Dun Laoghaire regatta

In fact, with so much effort being made to provide proper waterfront facilities in Dun Laoghaire, it’s a case of the more the merrier, and another interesting vessel whose management have indicated positive interest is the Conor O’Brien ketch Ilen, currently nearing completion of her restoration through the Ilen Boat Building School of Limerick at Liam Hegarty’s boatyard at Oldcourt near Baltimore.

Ilen is due to be launched in April and will be in full commission by July. The very fact of having a complete suit of new sails will make her look better than she ever has since she was built in 1927, and if she does turn up to Dun Laoghaire welcome, it will be a very different boat from the tired-looking vessel at the end of her working days in the Falkands, the vessel which was finally, thanks to Gary MacMahon’s initiative, returned to Ireland in 1998.

In other words, so many ideas are flying around about the fresh shapes and new vitality that the Kingstown Bicentenary can add to the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta that all things are possible.

The Conor O’Brien ketch Ilen towards the end of her working days in the Falkland Islands. In fully restored form, she is expected to launch in April of this year, and may well include the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta in her 2017 programme. Photo courtesy Ilen Boatbuilding School