The keenly-run GP14 Ireland Association starts its national season in the final weekend of April (27th & 28th) in the central location of Lough Owel at Mullingar Sailing Club with the prestigious O’Tiarnaigh Trophy championship writes W M Nixon. The Class Committee has worked on maximising the racing programme for all competitors, in addition to devising a format which ensures that there will be a result even if one of the two days of racing is lost due to inclement weather.

This vintage but enthusiastic class is notable for the number of young crews from GP14 strongholds all over the country who have joined the fleet in recent years, attracted by the strong ethos of mutual support and encouragement. This was much in evidence at the very special regatta in Skerries on Saturday, January 12th to celebrate the 75th birthday of GP 14 stalwart Curly Morris of Larne, an event which drew a select but very representative fleet of GP 14 fans from all over the country.

The class is now on the long countdown to the GP 14 Worlds due to be staged in Skerries in 2020, for which the 2019 Nationals & Masters at the same venue on August 16th to 18th is planned as something of a taster. But meanwhile, in addition to a season-long countrywide programme which takes in many of the GP 14 Ireland strongholds, the class already has 31 entries finalised for the GP 14 Leinsters in Dun Laoghaire from July 12th to 14th, to be staged as part of the biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

2019 will be a busy year for the Irish GP14 dinghy fleet and to celebrate the progress being made in Cullaun with a new Clubhouse at Kilkishen in Co Clare and also to recognise the recent growth of GP14 sailing in Munster particularly at Youghal Sailing Club, the Geeps will compete for the Munster Championship incorporating the Purcell Trophy at Cullaun Sailing Club on May 11 and 12.

A fortnight earlier, the new clubhouse on Cullaun Lake will be officially opened on April 27th.

Ross and Jane Kearney may be based in England these days, but the former Mirror multiple champion and sail-maker is always happy to reaffirm his connections with the Royal North of Ireland YC at Cultra on Belfast Lough as he competes among the fleet leaders in the GP 14 class writes W M Nixon. And when he came second in the GP 14 Worlds in Cornwall at the beginning of the month, there indeed was RNIYC up on the leaderboard.

He promised at the time that he and his wife Jane would be racing the three day Irish GP Nationals 2018 which concluded yesterday at Sligo. While the amount of foul weather circulating in the days beforehand may have been instrumental in keeping numbers down to a fleet of 37 boats, they were well representative of every leading centre of GP 14 racing in Ireland. And as for Ross & Jane making the journey, it was well worth it - they won overall.

Ironically, the gales had settled down so quickly as former Subtropical Storm Ernesto lost its power that the problem at Sligo was light winds on Saturday and Sunday. But while Monday at first brought no wind at all, a lovely sailing breeze eventually settled in to conclude the 6-race championship on a high.

The Kearney challenge got off to a shaky start with a 7th, the winner being visiting English helm Sam Watson crewed by James Peter Hockley of Lough Foyle YC. And in second there was a real blast from the past – former Sligo GP 14 stars Tim Corcoran and Brendan Brogan persuaded each other out of retirement, they borrowed Liam O’Donnell’s boat, and they started their series with a 2nd which then became a first in the second race.

The senior team reunited. Tim Corcoran and Brendan Brogan re-joined the GP 14 scene after many years, and showed they’d lost none of their edge as they race along well-placed under a cloud-capped Ben Bulben. Photo: David Wray/Sligo YC
The competition was decidedly cut and trust, but having moved up to 3rd for Race 2, the Kearneys were in the groove, and their scoreline for the remainder of the series was 1,1,4, and 3, giving them 12 nett points to the 21 of Sam Watson and the shared 23 of Tim Corcoran and Ger Owens, which the former won on count back, though he would have been second overall but for an OCS in Race 3. As for defending champion Shane MacCarthy of Greystones, he was off form, for after a 3rd in the first race, his best result was a second in Race 4, but his other results saw him finishing in 14th overall.

Fleet portrait - the final race, with Curly Morris and Laura McFarlane (right) leading the first round. Photo: David Wray/Sligo YC

Ger Owens (RStGYC) was to figure significantly in the final race, for as it progressed veteran skipper Curly Morris of Larne, crewed by Laura McFarlane of Newtownards, led at the end of the first round. But Ger Owens and Melanie Morris were waiting to pounce, and they were in the lead at the finish, with Curly second. However, the Kearney crew secured their popular overall win with a third to round out a championship which reinforced the image of GP 14 Ireland as a class and its all-island organisation in good heart.

International GP 14 Irish Nationals 2018 - Sligo YC Results

1st Purple Rocket (Ross & Jane Kearney, RNIYC & South Staffs SC) 12pts; 2nd The Drip (Sam Watson & JP Hockley, Nantwich SC & Lough Foyle YC) 21; 3rd 14055 Tim Corcoran & Brendan Brogan Sligo YC) 23; 4th True Belle (Ger Owens & Mel Morris, Royal St George YC) 23; 5th Trouble on the Way (Curly Morris and Laura McFarlane, East Antrim BC & Newtownards SC) 33; 6th 14214 (Keith Luden & Alan Thompson, RYA) 37; 7th Wally (Alan Blay & David Johnston, Sutton DC) 40; 8th Kalaco (Hugh & Dan Gill, SDC) 43; 9th 13247 (John & Donal McGuinness, Movillle BC) 50; 10th Speranza (Gareth & Richard Gallagher, LFYC) 51.

Ross & Jane Kearney, Irish GP 14 National Champions 2018. Photo: David Wray/Sligo YC

With 178 Optimists racing in the Irish Nationals at Kinsale, and Ireland’s GP14 dinghies in fine form after the massive Worlds in England as they gather for their own Nationals in Sligo this weekend through to Monday, there’s much to be hopeful about even as our cruiser-racers deal with the fallout from the multi-gale depredations on the programme in the ICRA Nationals at Galway, and the damage-forced retirement from the Round Britain & Ireland Race of Conor Fogerty and Simon Knowles in Bam! W M Nixon hopes to brighten the mood.

The remains of Subtropical Storm Ernesto could not have chosen a more inconvenient time to swing by the west coast of Ireland and the Outer Hebrides of Scotland than during this past week.

For meteorologists, one of the curiosities was that Ernesto was so all-encompassing that he included in his swirling airmass not only an enormous long plume of smoke from the wildfires in California, but dust from the Sahara. That’s globalisation, and no mistake.

Subtropical Storm Ernesto

And he also brought us in Ireland far more than our fair share of extremely humid and unstable air, lots of it moving at near gale force, with all of it very dense to exacerbate the effects of wind speed. With its added ingredients of smoke and dust, it was not only humid – it was arguably putrid.

Somewhere, the sun is shining……this was the Optimist Junior Fleet in action off Kinsale on Thursday. Photo: Robert Bateman

Seen from a lee shore, the Ernesto Effect produced unspeakable sea and sailing conditions which made race cancellations in Galway Bay inevitable. And for those already out at sea and racing in the RB & I marathon, the endlessly varying wind strengths and its many weaving directions led to widespread damage in the Sevenstar fleet, and several retirals to ports along Ireland’s Atlantic seaboard.

Up to a point, we could take it all in our stride. But when Bam!’s dejected crew were forced to pull out on Thursday morning, it was time and more to look elsewhere for signs of encouragement in the Irish sailing scene, news and stories to remind us that, until a week ago, the season of 2018 was going very well indeed, and it will soon be back on track again.

178 Optimists at the Nationals in Kinsale

So that figure of 178 Optimists at the Nationals in Kinsale is hugely encouraging, particularly when we remember that the Irish Optimist racing scene is so highly regarded internationally that teams from six other nations have come to Kinsale to race as Open division entries.

Because it’s children’s sport, some limits apply in reporting Optimist success. But when new stars such as Justin Lucas of Clonakilty and more recently Rocco Wright of Howth emerge with brilliant performances, the news gets out.

Rising star. Justin Lucas of Royal Cork & Tralee is one of Irish sailing’s most successful youth helms
And living as I do in an Optimist neighbourhood (half the houses in our road seem to have evidence of at least one Optimist dinghy in the family), part of the fascination of Optimist campaigning is its entertainment value for the rest of us. When you see an entire family (including the pooch) heading off for a championship with the total package of support RIB, several Optimists attached here, there and everywhere - with the roof-rack of the SUV also utilized – then you’re really looking at something special, yet we take it for granted.

It’s very much a combined effort, and that is something which we see manifested in other successful classes such as the close-knit Flying Fifteens in Dun Laoghaire, and the GP 14s nationwide.

GP14 Worlds 2020 at Skerries

In an era when novelty and innovation seem to be the priorities that we seek in vehicles and equipment, the GP 14 is a real curiosity. She goes all the way back to 1949 – yes, she’ll be 70 next year – and her original purpose was that, as a hard-chined boat built in marine plywood, she could be home-built by any reasonably competent Do-It-Yourself enthusiast at a time when DIY was widely popular.

She was called the GP as it meant General Purpose and most assuredly not Grand Prix, with day cruising or even longer non-racing ventures considered an option. But soon, the new boat had acquired a spinnaker, and racing was on the agenda and moving rapidly towards the top. It has stayed there ever since as the GP 14’s main purpose in life.

Andy Davis (left) and Greystone SC’s Shane MacCarthy on their way to winning the GP 14 Worlds 2016

Many new dinghy designs have appeared since 1949 to promote fresh classes, yet the GP 14 continues to trundle successfully along – more than 14,000 have been built worldwide. And though glassfibre construction has been used in some cases – Shane MacCarthy of Greystones won the GP 14 Worlds in 2016 in Barbados in a GRP GP14 – wood construction continues to be much favoured, and one of the very best builders in the world is Alistair Duffin of East Belfast, who succeeded his father Gerry in the business of creating exquisite wooden boats which are also race-winners.

The unmistakable look of a Duffin GP14 hull – this one won the Worlds in 2012

His boat-building skills are such that other classes try to avail of his services when there’s the tiniest gap in his GP 14 orderbook – at the moment he’s putting a new deck on a Dublin Bay Mermaid, evidence of another of Ireland’s much-loved older classes finding itself with a new lease of life.

One aspect of such classes is that they give you the feeling of being in one great big family, and certainly in the GP14s in particular, the family thread runs strong, with parents as readily crewing for children as the other way round.

The class is renowned for its provision of good value for its members. This was particularly apparent when the GP 14 Worlds of 2014 was held at East Down Yacht Club on Strangford Lough. The renowned Norman Lee of Greystones was among those taking part with his impressive compact largely self-created equipage of campervan-cum-workshop with boat and gear and spares, all of it on site and typical of a class where a monumental yet quietly effective community effort was needed each day to get the fleet – almost exactly a hundred in all – neatly away for each day’s racing.

Fleets at most of the biennial GP 14 Worlds are so large that a convenient beach can be very useful, but in 2014 at East Down YC on Strangford Lough, they had to rely on a well-organised routine down a long slipway. Photo: W M Nixon

This sense of readily-supported group effort within GP 14 Ireland reached a new level in 2016, when the Worlds were set for Barbados in March. The prospect of Caribbean sailing at the tail end of the Irish winter was a mighty attraction, but the logistics of it would have been beyond most classes. Yet the unrivalled community spirit within the Irish GPs saw 22 boats being taken Transatlantic in a well co-ordinated container movement combined with an affordable travel and accommodation package which was negotiated though sensible group action, and planning well ahead.

The fact that in some magnificent racing the new GP 14 World Champion was to emerge as Shane MacCarthy of Greystones, crewed by Andy Davis, was the perfect finishing touch to a great adventure, and a timely reminder that the Irish GP 14 class has had its World Champions in the past, with Bill Whisker and Jimmy McKee of Ballyholme winning in 1975, while Mark and Paul Fekkes from Larne won in 1991.

Thus the main international focus for the Irish class this season has been the recent GP 14 Worlds in southwest England at Mounts Bay in Cornwall, where a convenient gently sloping beach provides the exceptional launching facilities required by a fleet of 117 boats, for which 17 travelled from various Irish centres, while total Irish participation was pushed above the 20 mark with our GP 14 sailors who currently live in Britain.

The distinctive shape of St Michael’s Mount dominates the race area during the recent GP14 Worlds at Mounts Bay in Cornwall. Irish helms took second and fourth in the 117-strong fleet.
Inevitably, defending champion Shane MacCarthy was something of a marked man, and going into the final race he seemed assured of the bronze. But he was pushed into fourth, and the best of the Irish was Ross Kearney with the Silver, sailing under the burgee of the Royal North of Ireland YC at Cultra, and crewed by Ed Bradburn of South Staffs SC.

After Shane MacCarthy in fourth, next best of the Irish was Ger Owens of Royal St George YC at 9th. He is one of those leading Irish dinghy sailors who is equally renowned for his successes in other boats, most of them of more modern type, yet he reckons that for sport and value, keeping a GP 14 in trim and having someone as able as regular crew Melanie Morris to campaign with makes it well worth the effort.

In a fleet of this size, everyone will have found their level where the sport is at its best, and age is no barrier. We wouldn’t dream of even guessing at the age of Curly Morris of Larne, but he has been sailing GP 14s for as long as we’ve known him, which is very far back into the previous millennium. Yet there he was at Mounts Bay, merrily sailing around with all his replacement joints in reasonable working order, and taking 19th overall with Laura McFarland of Newtownards SC as his crew.

Supersenior Sailor – veteran Curly Morris is as keen as ever. Photo: Robert Bateman

As for top all-women crew, that went to Katy Dwyer and Michelle Rowley of Sutton Dinghy Club, who were comfortably into the top half at 41st, which gave them a solid fifth in the Silver Fleet.

With full-on across-the-board participation by the Irish entries as events concluded at Mounts Bay in the first week of August, there’s been little enough time to re-charge batteries before this weekend’s Sligo gathering. But with GP 14 Ireland in the build-up to another big one on the home front within two years, the momentum is on, with the count-down already under way towards the GP 14 Worlds 2020 at Skerries, where this year in July they’ve already staged the Leinsters, won by Shane MacCarthy with Ger Owens second and Alan Blay and David Johnston of Sutton third.

This will put a double-focus on MacCarthy at Sligo, as he’s defending National Champion, having won at Ballyholme last year. So all that’s needed in Sligo is a relenting of the weather to set the stage for the sort of racing the GP 14s relish.

It speaks volumes of a class in good heart, and with GP14 Ireland now having David Cooke of Skerries as President, there’s a strong home team in place to provide a World Championship worthy of the competitors, while on the boat front, the word is that Alistair Duffin’s order book for new GP 14s is well-filled to 2020.

World Sailing Championships on the Fingal Coast

It all means that 2020 is going to be quite a year for World Championships on the Fingal coast, as fourteen miles to the south at Howth, one of HYC’s main events for 2020 will be staging the Fireball Worlds.

The National YC’s John Lavery on the helm and David O’Brien on the wire, on their way to winning the Fireball Worlds 1995 in Dublin Bay. The Fireball Worlds 2020 will be staged at Howth. Photo: Shane O’Neill

While the Fireball Class doesn’t have the same national coverage in Ireland as the GP 14, it continues to be a significant international force, and of course Irish faith in the Fireball is still sustained by memories of the World Championship in Dublin Bay in 1995, won by John Lavery and David O’Brien of the National Yacht Club.

The very idea that the coast of Fingal would be hosting two world championships at two different venues within the county in 2020 would have been seen as far-fetched back in 1995. But population growth has seen club development across the board in the north county – think, for instance, of the remarkable growth of Rush Sailing Club’s success – and the area’s lack of commercial shipping is a real boon when Dublin Port’s increasing activity keeps the Bay’s shipping lanes busier than ever.

Then, too, when the Atlantic weather is excessively flexing its muscles, the well-islanded coast of Fingal’s great sailing water has all of Ireland to provide a lee when the big westerlies roar across country to make racing events impossible on open water on the Atlantic seaboard.

Half Ton Classics Worlds at Nieuwpoort

So between Optimists and GP 14s and Fireballs, there is much to cheer us in the current and future scene. And as for cruiser racing, there may have been a glitch, but in the Irish Sea ISORA soldiers on, and we’ve two Howth boats – Dave Cullen’s Checkmate XV and Jonny Swann’s Harmony – in with a shout in next week’s Half Ton Classics Worlds at Nieuwpoort in Belgium. Life goes on.

All packed up, and ready to go….Dave Cullen’s classic Half Tonner Checkmate XV road-ready at Howth for departure to Nieuwpport in Belgium and the Half Ton Classic Worlds which start on Monday. Photo: W M Nixon

No, you weren’t seeing things – Checkmate XV travels with five crew bicycles, as getting around some yacht harbours takes longer than you think, and the exercise is good for them. Photo: W M Nixon

Jonny Swann’s Harmony, overall winner of the all-comers Harbour Race in Volvo Cork Week, will also be representing Howth in the Half Ton Championship in Belgium. Photo: Robert Bateman

After many weeks of amazing summer weather, the GP14 Leinster Championships did not disappoint with Skerries producing a fantastic weekend sailing. With light winds forecasted all weekend the OD and his team had planned ahead to allow for 4 races to be sailed on the Saturday in preparation of very little wind on the Sunday. In the end, it proved to be the right call.

Download overall results below

Much to the appreciation of the fleet, gate starts were proposed for all races, as the Mounts Bay bound Irish contingent prepared for the 2018 World Championships. With only a handful of very late, barging boats, the gate starts worked very well. With many boats benefitting from the great coaching sessions organised by the class earlier in the year, these gate starts have become a lot less intimidating for sailors not as accustomed to them.

The racing was very tight as the results from day 1 would tell you, with 4 different race winners the championship was still well open going into Sunday. Shane Mac Carthy & Damien Bracken took 1st honours in race one followed closely by Ger Owens and Melanie Morris in 2nd and a great performance by youth helm Peter Boyle crewed by father Stephen taking 3rd. Ger & Mel took 1st in race 2, Niall Henry & Oisin Geraghty taking 1st in race 3, and Alan Blay & David Johnston winning the last race of the day.

With only 2 points separating 2nd and 4th place, and then a further 3 to 1st, the championship was wide open. Despite matching Ger & Mel with a 2nd and 1st on the final day (with time to spare for Alan to answer the call from nature up the final beat), Alan & David had to settle for 3rd overall as Shane & Damien had done enough with a 3 and 5 to earn them top spot and another Leinster Championship. Ger & Mel narrowly missing out by 1 point.

The youth fleet was very competitive with Gareth & Richard Gallagher taking it overall with Josh Porter & Sara Gowdy 2nd youth followed by Peter & Stephen Boyle in 3rd. All 3 within 7 points of each other.

Josh & Sara won Silver, Peter & Stephen Boyle in 2nd with Cathal Sheridan & David Cooke 3rd.

Bronze fleet winners were Stuart McCormick & Bernie, 2nd Noel Clarke & Chris, 3rd Michael Collender & Brian Walker

The Irish GP14 dinghy fleet returned to Donaghadee in County Down, Northern Ireland for the 2018 Ulster Championships on a sunny Saturday afternoon last weekend.

The OOD Ruan O’Tiarnaigh got the first race off at 12pm in a moderate breeze. Ger Owens with his crew Damien Bracken dominated the first two races with two bullets after the McGuiness brothers, first home in race 2 were deemed OCS.

Race three was won by the current world champions Shane McCarthy & Andy Davis.

After an hour postponement on Sunday morning a nice strong breeze filled in. Keith Louden & Alan Thompson started at the pin on port and crossed the fleet and after a hard battle with Shane & Andy, took the win in race four.

GP14s prepare for a spinnaker drop at Donaghdee

Race five got underway with Shane & Andy showing their dominance in the strong breeze and led from the start to take the win.

After a general recall in race six, OOD Ruan O’Tiarnaigh eventually ran out of time and sent us home to the delight of many in the fleet.

Shane & Andy took the overall win with Ger & Damien in second and Keith & Alan in third.

The silver fleet honours went to Peter & Stephen Boyle with Josh Porter & Andrew Corkill taking second and Bill Johnson & James Hockley in third.

The bronze fleet honours went to Jack Buttimer & Adam McDonagh with Donaghadee's James Ogg & Jennifer Bryce taking second and Michael Collender & Brian Walker in third.

Results are attached for download below.

The forecast for the GP14 O'Tiarnaigh Challenge 2018 was moderate to fresh breeze for the Saturday and strong breeze and up to 30 knots of gusts for the Sunday.

OD Peter Smyth at the Saturday morning briefing made the decision to sail all 6 qualifying races instead of the scheduled 4 races on the Saturday.

The fleet of 19 set off in their own fleet starts as Peter got 3 races in before lunch on Saturday with already a few thrills and spills in the growing breeze. The fleet had a quick lunch ashore with warm drinks and rolls provided by Swords. Back on the water to similar winds for the first race but it abated a little giving a more enjoyable final 2 races. The fleet was shore after a long day.

Greystones Sailing Club's Shane MacCarthy & Damian Bracken always enjoy the bigger breezes and dominated the two days

With the 6 races sailed the 4 leaders of each fleet were decided on the Saturday with 3 races scheduled for the Sunday for the final of the O'Tiarnaigh Challenge.

Greystones Sailing Club's Shane MacCarthy & Damian Bracken always enjoy the bigger breezes and dominated the two days and take another year's succession of winning the O'Tiarnaigh Trophy.

Second overall were Royal St George's Ross Killian with crew Ger Owens followed by a great performance and third place for Newtowards SC Josh Porter and Andy Corkhill.

Youghal’s Jack Buttimer & Adam McDonagh topped the bronze fleet finishing a very creditable 6th overall

Five of the seven Irish GP14 fixtures this season will be on the east coast ranging from Donaghdee and Newtownards in the North to the inland venue of Blessington in County Wicklow. 

The season starts on April 14th with the annual Riocard O'Tiarnaigh Challenge at Swords Sailing Club and runs through to October 14th at the Hot Toddy event on the Ards Peninsula.

The highlight of the season, however, will no doubt be the July World Championships at Mounts Bay Sailing Club in Cornwall, with 2016 world champion Shane MacCarthy of Greystones still holding sway in Irish ranks at least.

The class is providing world championship travel grants for junior boats, where both helm and crew are under 22 years.

Along with the travel grant youth boats will also have a 50% reduced entry fees to the Worlds in Cornwall – the fee will be £125.00

Grant applications need to be submitted before 1st March 2018. 

GP14 Ireland 2018 Events

APRIL  14TH/15TH O'TIARNAIGH CHALLENGE Swords Sailing Club
MAY  12TH/13TH ULSTERS Donaghadee SC
JUNE 9TH / 10TH PURCELL TROPHY Lough Ree YC
JULY  7TH/8TH LEINSTERS Skerries SC
JULY 28TH-3RD GP14 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Mounts Bay SC, UK
AUGUST  18TH/19TH/20TH IRISH NATIONALS & MASTERS Sligo YC
SEPTEMBER  15TH/16TH AUTUMN & YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS Blessington SC
OCTOBER  13TH/14TH HOT TODDY Newtownards SC

The GP14 Annual Hot Toddy event took place over the weekend of the 14th / 15th October 2017 on Lough Owel hosted by Mullingar Sailing Club.

Racing began on Saturday on flat water and with the wind shifting in force and direction, some large gains were made and lost up wind. At the end of Saturday’s four races Shane

MacCarthy & Damian Bracken had two race wins and Curly Morris & Laura McFarland and John & Donal McGuinness one race win apiece. With Keith Louden & Alan Thompson putting together some very consistent results, this meant that any one of four boats could potentially win the event going into the final day.

Race five began on Sunday morning with individual recalls. The McGuinnesses and Louden/Thompson teams decided to return and start correctly and together with the aid of some large shifts both teams moved through the fleet to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. Morris & McFarland took the win after MacCarthy & Bracken were judged to have been on course side at the start.

Going into the final race the points were now much tighter. MacCarthy & Bracken still leading, McGuinnesses in second on break of tie with Louden & Thompson and Morris & McFarland in fourth place.

At the first windward mark of the final race MacCarthy & Bracken led with McGuinesses and Louden & Thompson in close proximity. With Morris & Mc Farland back mid fleet Louden & Thompson choose this time to attack, taking McGuinnesses to windward on the broad reach. MacCarthy & Bracken decided not to get involved but ran the risk of being run over, however held a slim lead at the gybe mark. MacCarthy & Bracken broke clear after the gybe mark and would not be caught leaving McGuinnesses and Louden & Thompson to battle it out for second and third place, a battle which the McGuinnesses eventually won.

Silver and bronze flees were won by Gareth & Richard Gallagher and James Ogg & Steven Nelson respectively.

Download results below

470 Olympic helmsman Ger Owens, sailing under the Swords Saliing Club burgee, continued his winning run in the GP14 Autumn Open at the weekend when he topped the 19–boat Autumn Open event sailed for the first time in Cork Harbour.

The GP14 fleet, who declined this year's Dinghy Fest invite due to calendar constraints, made good on their commitment to come to Royal Cork Yacht Club this year when they sailed their popular 14–foot dinghy in a two day event at Crosshaven, sailed on the Eastern Bank well out of the shipping lane.

Second overall was East Antrim Boat Club's Curly Morris with Sutton Dinghy Club's Conor Twohig third overall. Youghal Sailing Club's Jack Buttimer was the winner of the 13–boat youth championships.

Download full results below.