The dominant form of the 2019 Irish yacht of the year, Paul O'Higgins' JPK10.80 Rockabill VI continues to stalk the ISORA racecourse, picking up another win at 1.30 am this morning off Dun Laoghaire Harbour in the well attended night race, according to provisional results via the ISORA Yellowbrick tracker.

The 25-boat race was the third in the ISORA 2020 Re-Boot series and the third race of the Viking Marine sponsored Coastal Series of four.

The fleet started off Dun Laoghaire outfall buoy at 8 pm (the same as race one and two) and headed south to the Muglins and onto Breeches just north of Wicklow before heading back up the Dublin coast and a finish off Dun Laoghaire Pier heads.

Rockabill VI Paul O'Higgins' JPK10.80 was the overall winner of the ISORA night race

Aurelia was line honours winner

Chris and Patanne Smith's J122 Aurelia from the Royal St George Yacht Club was the line honours winner but dropped to second overall on corrected time over the 32-mile course sailed in light south and south-west winds.

Third overall was the National Yacht Club's First 40.7 Tsunami (Vincent Farrell) in a clean sweep for Class Zero boats.

Vincent Farrell's First 40.7 Tsunami from the National Yacht Club

J99 wins IRC One

In IRC Class One, Andrew Algeo's J/99 took the gun from the J/109 Mojito with Prima Luce, third.

Patrick Burke's Prima Luce was third in IRC One

Black Velvet Takes IRC Two win

Leslie Parnell's Beneteau 34.7 Black Velvet from the Royal Irish Yacht Club was the Class Two winner from Greystones Harbour JOD 35 entry Red Alert. Third was Humdinger.

Reigning ISORA Champion Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins) took a one-minute 35-second margin on corrected time to win the second ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Race on Dublin Bay this afternoon.

The JPK10.80 was the IRC overall and Class Zero winner according to provisional results published by ISORA via the association's tracker that are subject to official confirmation.

XP 44 WOW overtakes the Greystones JOD 35 Red Alert shortly after the reaching start

Second overall was the Howth Yacht Club J109 Indian (Colm Buckley and Simon Knowles) who was also the Class One winner.

Howth Yacht Club J109 Indian (Colm Buckley and Simon Knowles) was the Class One Winner

The fleet contained a number of new entries for the second of the four-race mini-series including the new First 40 to Dublin Bay, Prima Forte and the Channel 32 Wavetrain from Greystones Sailing Club.

The gleaming varnish of the Channel 32 Wavetrain from Greystones takes the Committee Boat end at the start of the second ISORA Viking MarineCoastal Race

Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins) going well in the light winds under symmetric spinnaker 

O'Higgins of the Royal Irish Yacht Club gave a fine display on how to navigate Dublin Bay's tidal currents even though hugging the Dublin Bay shoreline did not always look like the right move in the fickle sub-ten-knot westerlies as the 19-boat fleet started from the Dun Laoghaire Harbour's outfall Mark in Seapoint Bay.

The First 40 'Prima Forte' on its first ISORA race

Early into the 24-mile race, it appeared that boats such as first race winner George Sisk's WOW, an XP44, had secured the best pressure in the centre of the course in the light westerlies as the feet raced towards the first mark at the Muglins at the southern tip of Dublin Bay.

It became obvious though as the fleet exited the Bay that O'Higgins's ploy to hug the Scotsman's Bay shore in the south of the Bay in the last of the ebb tide was a race-winning move.

John Treanor's Grand Soleil 34 Justina from the National Yacht Club

Second in Class One was the Grand Soleil 34, Justina, skippered by John Treanor, from the National Yacht Club who followed a similar strategy.

The Royal St. George Yacht Club J97 Windjammer steered by Fireball ace Noel Butler

Class Two in the four-hour race was won by Leslie Parnell's First 34.7 Black Velvet who won from the Royal St. George J97 Windjammer.

Race 2 of the Viking Marine Coastal Race this morning will be a shorter 24-mile course from Dun Laoghaire Harbour at 0955.

From a start, at Dun Laoghaire Outfall Buoy, the expected 20-boat fleet will pass the Muglins on the Southern Tip of Dublin Bay.

From there the course is - ISORA Dublin Virtual Mark Gate - (Muglins (S) and the ISORA Dublin Virtual Mark (P)) East Kish (S) Killiney Outfall (P) Bray Outfall (P) Pass through the Muglins - ISORA Dublin Virtual Mark Gate - (Muglins (P) - and the ISORA Dublin Mark (S))
The finish is between the between Dun Laoghaire Pier Heads.

The form boat WOW, George Sisk's XP44 that won last weekend's race and Thursday's DBSC race is expected to compete.

Winds are as per forecast, light westerlies.

Live Dublin Bay webcam here and Race Tracker below

The second of four races in the Viking Marine Coastal Series has attracted a fleet of 20 for Saturday's ISORA race from Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Hoping that their early-season training, that paid off so handsomely in last Saturday's tricky conditions, is overall leader WOW, George Sisk's Class Zero XP44 entry from the Royal Irish Yacht Club. 

The XP44 WOW crew took early advantage last Saturday to lead the Viking Marine Coastal Series at Dun Laoghaire

Conditions look equally tricky this Saturday and a similar 35-mile course is planned. The forecast is for more light westerlies with the chance of a sea breeze to get the fleet around just a bit quicker than the first race's marathon 11-hours for some.

Chasing hard in second place is the Class One J109 Mojito sailed by Anthony Doyle of Skerries with a full Irish crew. Third, is reigning ISORA champion Rockabill VI,  the JPK10.80 of Paul O'Higgins from the RIYC.

J109 Mojito skippered by Anthony Doyle on the transom of two-handed J99 Juggerknot II (Andrew Algeo) after the start of last Saturday's first Viking Marine Coastal Race race Photo: Afloat

Scores for the coastal series count three results from four races with one discard applicable after four sailed.

The ISORA fleet now stands at over 20 boats with another new entry being a Beneteau First 40, Prima Forte. This is the First 40 La Response, formerly known as Courier Zen and a veteran of several British Commodore's Cup teams that arrived into Dublin Bay in January.

ISORA competitors must use a mandatory crew manager app to register crew names before each race according to the association's updated Sailing Instructions.

Race two starts on Saturday at 0955 with the possibility of a glimpse of the fleet from the live Dublin Bay webcam if the fleet head south

Race tracker is below:

A new ISORA app has been developed by the offshore sailing body to register competing crews before each race.

The 2020 ISORA season got underway last Saturday with a 35-mile Viking Marine sponsored coastal race from Dun Laoghaire Harbour and was won by the Royal Irish's WOW (George Sisk) as Afloat reported here.

The 'ISORA Crewmanager App' logs crew names and mobile phone numbers as well as shore contact names and phone numbers.

Skippers are required by ISORA's Sailing Instructions to register all crew using the app that the association says will only be used for:

• for safety purposes and in an instance of an emergency.
• if required in association with the ISORA COVID Protocol and Contact Tracing

The App is available for Apple and Android phones.

George Sisk's XP44 WOW took an emphatic win in the first ISORA race of the 2020 season yesterday when racing got off to a decidedly tricky start in the first of four Viking Marine Coastal Series races on Dublin Bay.

Provisional results on ISORA's tracker (scroll down for tracker) handed the line honours, IRC and Class Zero victories to the Royal Irish's WOW with Welsh J109 Mojito skippered by Anthony Doyle from Skerries and sailed by an Irish crew second. Sisk's clubmate Paul O'Higgins in the JPK10.80 was third in IRC overall.

Top five on IRC overall in the first Viking Marine ISORA Coastal Race sailed yesterday on Dublin Bay

(Above and below) On your marks: ISORA Boats make a clean start to the 2020 season. Front runners J109 Mojito (GBR 9047R) to leeward with Rockabill VI, pink striped spinnaker (IRL10800) and Aurelia (yellow spinnaker) and Lively Lady (blue spinnaker) to weather and in a good gust that would send the Beneteau 44.7 to the front of the fleet as the 19-boats passed the harbour mouth at Dun Laoghaire shortly after the start Photo: Afloat

A great turnout of 19 boats made for a great spectacle under a colourful reaching start at the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Outfall buoy, where a fleet that included both current and former ISORA champions, plotted a course around Dublin Bay that included the use of ISORA's virtual marks.

National Yacht Club Race Officer Larry Power sends the fleet on its way around a 34-mile course across Dublin Bay to Killiney via some virtual marks and the Kish Light. Photo: Afloat

The fleet started at 0955 under National Yacht Club Race Officer Larry Power and headed for a Dublin Bay Virtual Mark to port. But as soon as the fleet sailed the short distance across the Harbour Mouth and into Scotsman's Bay, the wind died away on the first of many occasions in the 34-miler over seven hours.

The Royal St. George J122 Aurelia (Chris and Patanne Smith) narrowly leads overall winner George Sisk's XP44 Wow (orange spinnaker) Photo: Afloat

Rockabill VI (IRL10800) is chased hard by Brendan Coghlan's Sunfast3600 and J109 Mojito (GBR 9047R) shortly after the start Photo: Afloat

The fleet then negotiated a series of sail changes before heading for Bennett and then the Killiney Outfall buoy. From there the boats rounded the Muglins to Port and finished between Dun Laoghaire's Pier Heads, many returning home around 6 pm. Review the race on the Tracker below.

Quite a few of the offshore boats were using the Dun Laoghaire Harbour opener as a shakedown for the season including August's Round Ireland Race.

 The 19-boat fleet was a mix of some potent offshore designs including A31s, J109s, a J99, a JPK10.80 and two Sunfast300s Photo: Afloat

Rockabill VI gets into her stride under symmetric spinnaker shortly after the start Photo: Afloat

(Above and below) Doublehanders: Andrew Algeo and Mark McGibney from the Royal Irish Yacht Club sailing the J99 Juggerknot II in double-handed mode and chasing Rockabill VI at the start of the ISORA 34-miler Photo: Afloat

Sunfast: Brendan Coghlan's Royal St. George entry YoYo was one of two Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 in the race Photo: Afloat

In the forecasted IRC 2 battle between the J97 Windjammer, the ISORA A31debutante APlus and Leslie Parnell's First 34.7 Black Velvet, it was Denis Power and Lindsey Casey's J97 from the Royal St. George Yacht Club that came out on top and RIYC's Parnell second, according to provisional tracker results.

Royal St George Yacht Club ISORA Class 2 winner, the J97 Windjammer (Lindsey J Casey & Denis Power) Photo: Afloat

New arrival: The National Yacht Club Archambault A31 A-Plus made her ISORA debut Photo: Afloat

Light and shifty: Looking to escape the north going tide Howth J109 Indian, Sigma 38 Wardance, Tsunami First 40.7 and the XC45 Samaton head for the Scotsman's Bay shoreline. Photo: Afloat

Becalmed: As the boats headed out of the bay, the wind died  Photo: Afloat

This morning's Dun Laoghaire Viking Marine Coastal Race (Re-Boot) course has drawn a potent fleet of ISORA 19 boats that includes former champions Mojito (Peter Dunlop & Victoria Cox) from North Wales and reigning champions Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins). The entry list is below and the fleet previewed here.

This morning's race that will be sailed in light to medium  west to south-west winds marks the start of the 2020 offshore season with a course beginning and ending off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The fleet start off Dun Laoghaire Outfall Buoy at 0955 and leave a Dublin Bay Virtual Mark to port before heading for Bennett and then the Killiney Outfall buoy. From there the boats will round the Mugling to Port and finish between Dun Laoghaire's Pier Heads. Follow the fleet on the Tracker below.

ISORA Race Tracker

ISORA Competitors Race One

Offshore entries are building nicely for Saturday's first ISORA race of the season climbing from ten boats on Monday to 18 on  Wednesday, indicating a fleet of 20 plus is possible for the weekend's outing.

It looks like quite a few of the offshore boats will be using the Dun Laoghaire Harbour opener as a shakedown for the season ahead including August's Round Ireland Race.

The first race in the 12-race ISORA series is also the first race in the Viking Marine Irish Coastal Series, a mini-series of four races.

Paul O'Higgins' Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club: The championship-winning JPK10.80 has already been out testing on the Bay race track 

Some decent battles are already in prospect with reigning champion Paul O'Higgins' Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club up against some powerful J109s including Howth's Indian.

Brendan Coghlan's Sunfast 3600 Yoyo (above) will be up against sistership John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie (below) from the National Yacht Club

Another Royal Irish entry Andrew Algeo's J99, Juggerknot II is also entered as is the Sunfast 3600s Yoyo owned by Brendan Coughlan of the Royal St George and Hot Cookie, skippered by John O'Gorman from the National Yacht Club.

In the smaller sizes, the ever-competitive J97 Windjammer will be testing herself against the new (to Dublin) A31, A-plus, from the NYC. Both of these are similar in rating so it will be interesting to see how they go on Saturday once the cobwebs are blown away.

J97 Windjammer

Slightly bigger, but with only a slightly higher rating will be the Beneteau 34.7 Black Velvet, skippered by Leslie Parnell of the Royal Irish.

The Beneteau 34.7 Black Velvet, skippered by Leslie Parnell

Nice medium air westerlies are forecasted in 18-degree temperatures.

The course for Race 1 will be published before 12.00hrs on Friday 3rd July.

Check out the latest ISORA entries here

Already buoyant entries for August's Round Ireland Yacht Race can expect a further boost when a potent Welsh IRC fleet comes out of lockdown.

From the 2018 Race, seven Welsh boats finished in the top 20 but none of these top performers are yet on the 45-boat entry list at Wicklow Race Headquarters.

The reason, according to leading Welsh offshore skipper Stephen Tudor, who is ISORA's Honorary Secretary, is that Welsh sailing is still in lockdown with a five-mile travelling restriction in place.

"Wales is a few weeks behind the relaxation time-table in Ireland and as a result boats are still on the hard and all clubs and sailing centres remain closed, although some are allowing limited use this week", Tudor told Afloat.

It's a situation that means boats such as former ISORA Champion Mojito as well as Jackknife, Jaydreamer and Jetstream could all be on the start line on August 22nd, contributing significantly to making the predicted 60-boat fleet for the 21st edition of the race a reality. 

Offshore yacht racing off the County Wicklow coast Photo: Afloat

Last Friday's announcement by the Welsh First Minister provides the sailors with a clearer view of when they can go sailing again. By following the guidance of our Governing Body ‘RYA Cymru Wales’ Welsh ISORA boats are hopeful they will be ready for the ISORA Re-boot programme with the first Offshore Race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli on 1st August, if not earlier for the Irish Coastal Night Race on 24th July, Tudor, of Pwllheli Sailing Club, told Afloat.

"Round Ireland is in the sights of many boats but competitors need time on the water to thoroughly test themselves and their boats before committing to this classic challenge", Tudor said before concluding "I am sure that there will be a strong Welsh /UK presence in the race".

ISORA has made good on its promise to publish its 'Back to Boating' Protocol this week (downloadable below), the offshore racing body is eager to get back racing at the earliest possible opportunity on the Irish Sea.

The first race will be on July 4th and it will be a coastal race of 35 miles duration. The revised programme (below) has in excess of 300 miles of racing for Round Ireland Race qualification purposes with two races of 75 miles each and a night race too.

The ISORA programme is also tying in with other major key sailing events such as an August 14th race as part of the Welsh IRC Championships, an August 29th race as part of Greystones Harbour Regatta off County Wicklow and a September 12th Lambay Race off Howth as part of WAVE Regatta.

The ISORA documents (downloadable below) are live working documents and the intention of the Race Management team is to update it as and when restrictions are relaxed/changed in the various territorial waters relevant to each race.