The leader of the MOD 70s is 500 miles from Dun Laoghaire after passing the half way point on the 1238 miles stage from Kiel to Dublin this afternoon. The five boat fleet remains very closely matched, all making very similar speeds – around 10-12 knots of boat speed.

As they close the final 50 or so miles to the bottleneck that is formed by the Strait of Dover, the busiest shipping lanes in the world, the 70 foot trimaran fleet on Leg 1 of the MOD70 European Tour has continued to move well considering they have headwinds of less than 10 knots, but they will likely slow down even more before they can escape the worst of the small high pressure cell which is effectively guarding the entrance to the English Channel.

After passing the half way point on the 1238 miles stage from Kiel to Dublin, the fleet remains very closely matched, all making very similar speeds – around 10-12 knots of boat speed.

Winds may be light but the pressure remains very intense on this second full afternoon at sea. Knowing that whichever crew can break through the barrier of light winds first and escape into the channel might gain the decisive advantage.  Once through the light winds zone the leaders will break into a progressively building breeze from the N'ly quadrant.  Accelerating faster and faster, with the prospect of completing the Dover to Land's End passage in some 12-14 hours, the key tactic this Tuesday afternoon is not to be left behind in the Strait.

Brian Thompson from Musandam-Oman Sail reported this morning: "Everyone is concentrating on getting the best speed out of the boat, and we can see that today is a critical day as the wind is going to fall sharply near the Thames Estuary and the fleet is likely to compress. Who gets out of the light patch first may have a lead till approaching Ireland.".

And the fleet remains very closely matched: "We saw Groupe Edmond de Rothschild in the morning yesterday; and although we went entirely different routes all day, and were up to 50 miles apart, we saw them again in the evening! This morning we can see them about 6 miles away - exciting racing." Continued Thompson.

Seeking a chance of additional thermal sea-breeze activity closer to the coast is one possible strategy, but conversely those erring too close to the high land may also lose out when the breeze blows from the forecasted more offshore direction.

Spindrift racing, the leaders since the first night of racing, continued to hold a delta of about five miles on second place, but Sebastien Josse's Groupe Edmond de Rothschild has made a good inroad into FONCIA during the late morning and afternoon and were less than half a mile behind Michel Desjoyeaux's crew.

Having proven a thorn in the side for the FONCIA crew in last month's KRYS OCEAN RACE, it will have been a source of some bemusement to again see Groupe Edmond de Rothschild's dark blue pattern sails looming ever larger from the horizon today.

Guichard and crew on Spindrift racing have split closer to the English coast mid afternoon, diverging temporarily away from the second and third placed MOD70's  engaged in a Pas de Deux in the final reaches of the Pas du Calais. But with just 23 miles between first and fifth placed Race for Water, the fleet remains tightly grouped.

Ravussin's Race for Water struggled with an electronics problem, which has meant they were initially unable to get and use high-resolution weather information. This compounded their initial errors, struggling with a bad sail change during the first late evening. But from being more than 70 miles behind, Ravussin, Cammas, Coville and Co have kept chipping away and are now very much in touch with the leaders and passed Musandam-Oman Sail to steal fourth. "We have sailed less than our rivals and so it does not come so easily, but we are getting there." Reassured Ravussin when contacted at midday.

Standings at 12h45 UTC 4th September

1- Spindrift racing (Yann Guichard) at 504,4 miles from Dun Laoghaire

2- FONCIA (Michel Desjoyeaux) at 7,1 miles from leader

3- Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse) at 7,4 miles from leader

4- Race for Water (Stève Ravussin) at 14,1 miles from leader

5- Musandam-Oman Sail (Sidney Gavignet) à 16 miles du leader

#Mod70 – The much hyped MOD70 European Tour race is coming to Dun Laoghaire and the National Yacht Club from Wednesday to Sunday. The 5 trimarans are expected to arrive in Dun Laoghaire between 10am-6pm on Wednesday having left Kiel in Germany today but a last minute course change because of high winds puts some doubt over their exact arrival time into Irish waters.

Representing some of the fastest sailing yachts in the world these multihulls will be racing in Dublin Bay on Friday and Saturday before heading off on the next leg to Cascais.

There will be a festival on Dun Laoghaire's East Pier while the five boat fleet is in port and a firework display on Friday evening.

The MOD70 European Tour's 1200 mile first leg from Kiel, Germany to Dun Laoghaire, Dublin will get underway on Sunday 02 September. The 5 trimarans are due to arrive on Wednesday 05 September for a 5 day family festival on the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire.

Some of the worlds leading sailors from the Volvo Ocean Race, Americas Cup, Solitaire de Figaro and Olympics will compete.

There are more than eight sailors across the different boats who hold round the world records including Britain's Brian Thompson who sails on MUSANDAM – OMAN SAIL. Thompson has more than 20 offshore sailing speed records to his name including the new multihull record for sailing non stop around the world on board Banque Populaire V in January.

On RACE FOR WATER, Franck Cammas who skippered Groupama to victory in the Volvo Ocean race is sailing as navigator with his hugely accomplished Groupama crew-mate Thomas Coville who sails as a helm-trimmer.  Also from the Volvo winning Groupama team is Charles Caudrelier who will be navigator on FONCIA.

Others with a strong background in the Volvo Ocean Race are Michi Mueller who joins his former Puma crew mate Sidney Gavignet on MUSANDAM – OMAN SAIL for the inshore races, while GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD'S skipper Sébastien Josse led ABN AMRO 2 in the 2005-6 Volvo Ocean Race.

There are a good cross section of Olympic class sailors, mainly from the Tornado such as Yann Guichard (SPINDRIFT RACING) who was fourth in Sydney in 2000, but also Xavier Revil (FONCIA) Christophe Espagnon (GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD) and Olivier Douillard (GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD). Tanguy Cariou (RACE FOR WATER) sailed the 470 in Sydney and was 1998 world champion.

There are match racers like Francois Morvan (RACE FOR WATER) and Julien Falxa (FONCIA) and America's Cup winner Nicolas Texier (FONCIA), whilst with a background on the solo Solitaire du Figaro there are Yann Eliès, the 2012 winner who joins SPINDRIFT RACING, Thierry Chabagny (FONCIA) and Thomas Rouxel (GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD).

Round the world Jules Verne Record holders present and past include Emmanuel Leborgne (FONCIA), Texier, Jean-Baptiste Levaillant (SPINDRIFT RACING Spindrift), Florent Chastel (GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD), Kevin Escoffier (SPINDRIFT RACING), Britain's Brian Thompson (MUSANDAM – OMAN SAIL).

Past alumni of the solo round the world Vendée Globe include double winner Desjoyeaux, Eliès, Josse, Thompson and Coville.

The MOD70 Dun Laoghaire Festival will include food courts, farmers market, fairtrade & ethnic stalls, craft stalls, street entertainers and vintage amusements. On Friday 07 September and Saturday 08 September the MOD70s will be competing in Dublin Bay in the Dublin City Race and Speed Match Races and there will be live commentary with Irish Olympic sailor Ger Owens from the East Pier. The trimarans will leave Dun Laoghaire at 3pm on Sunday 9th for the start of the second leg of the European Tour from Dun Laoghaire to Cascais, Portugal.

The high speed MOD70 class of trimarans are a new innovation for sailing. They have already proven to be the fastest offshore sailing one design class in the world. Each MOD70 is completely identical, built from the same moulds, so that success  – inshore and offshore – reflects the skills of the sailing crew and not any technological advantage.

The MOD70 European Tour starts in Kiel, Germany, then Dublin, to Cascais by Lisbon, Portugal to Marseille, France to a finish in Genoa, Italy. Over the five weeks total duration of the MOD70 European Tour the teams will sail nearly 5000 miles over five offshore stages.

The MOD70 European Tour is the second event of the Multi One Championship, following on from July's inaugural KRYS OCEAN RACE which saw the MOD70's race the Atlantic from New York to Brest, France at remarkable speeds. The first three boats finished within less than two hours after traversing the Atlantic in less than five days with the winning boat making more than 711 miles in one 24 hours period.

OUTLINE PROGRAMME OF EVENTS IN DUN LAOGHAIRE

Wednesday 5th September:
Estimated arrival of MOD70s
10am – 6pm Food courts, farmers market, fairtrade & ethnic stalls, craft stalls,
family entertainment, vintage amusements

Thursday 6th September
10am – 6pm Food courts, farmers market, fairtrade & ethnic stalls, craft stalls,
family entertainment, vintage amusements

Friday 7th September
10am – 6pm Food courts, farmers market, fairtrade & ethnic stalls, craft stalls,
family entertainment, vintage amusements

3pm Dublin City Races and Speed Matches. Vantage points from the East Pier to Sandycove with live commentary from the East Pier.

9pm Firework display in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Saturday 8th September
10am – 6pm Food courts, farmers market, fairtrade & ethnic stalls, craft stalls,
family entertainment, vintage amusements

2pm Dublin City Races and Speed Matches. Vantage points from the East Pier to Sandycove with live commentary from the East Pier.

Sunday 9th September
10am – 6pm Food courts, farmers market, fairtrade & ethnic stalls, craft stalls,
family entertainment, vintage amusements

3pm Start of Leg 2 Dublin (Dun Laoghaire)-Cascais.
Vantage points from the East Pier to Sandycove with live commentary from the East Pier.

#flyingfifteen – John Lavery and David O'Brien are off to a great start in the Flying Fifteen Europeans on Lake Garda, Italy topping the leaderboard after the first two days of racing with two wins and two second places at the big wind venue. (Full results available to download below).

35 boats are competing with entries from Spain, Belgium, France and Australia but the bulk of the fleet is British.

The sole Irish entry in the 40-boat fleet port tacked the fleet in the opening race to lead world champions Steve Goacher and Phil Evans over a windward leeward/triangular course at the Fraglia Vela Yacht Club in Riva del Garda. Goacher and Evans closed the gap on the final triangle but the Irish Champions defended to the finish.

The National Yacht Club pair produced a big lead in race three yesterday morning only to be overhauled by Greg Wellls and Richard Riggs when the Irish boat lost its outhaul on the penultimate leg. Lavery dropped back to fourth trying to fix it but had recovered to second by the finish line.

Race four started with an individual recall and a more puffy shifting breeze of about 12 knots. Wells and Rigg started in the middle of the line on starboard and tacked after about three minutes. From here they found a nice lane and led narrowly at the windward mark from Justin Waples and Iain Stowe. Once again Lavery and O'Brien had a good start and first beat to round third. As the race progressed the wind lightened and Wells and Rigg extended their lead while Lavery slipped past Waples. Half way down the final reach the wind started to shut off and the race officer quickly signalled a shorten course at the leeward mark. Wells and Rigg were becalmed about 10 boat lights from the finish line and were passed by Lavery and O'Brien about a boat length from the finish. Alan Bax and Simon Childs squeezed through to finish 3rd and Steve Goacher and Phil Evans made a good recovery to finish 4th.

Racing continues today with two mores races daily til Friday to complete the ten race (two discard) championship, the first time the Fifteen championships has been sailed in Italy.

More race details here on the British Flying Fifteen site and also on the Irish Flying Fifteen site.

#laser – The VonZipper Laser National Championships under International Race Officer Con Murphy concluded on Dublin Bay yesterday with two final races in a stiff SE'ly sea breeze. In the Standard (Full) rig class, Irish London Olympic Men's Single handed representative James Espey of Ballyholme YC narrowly beat Annalise Murphy of the host club who, sailing the full rig for the first time, had a great event with four race wins and three seconds.

The two London Olympians sailed neck in neck up to the final race and gave the spectators and fellow sailors a great display of superb competition. Mattie O'Dowd of the RSGYC finished in third place with Chris Penny of East Antrim in fourth and Cork's Nick Walsh the first Master.

In the Radial class, the battle of the 'Darraghs' from Cork saw Darragh O'Sullivan from Kinsale take the title ahead of Baltimores Darragh Mc Cormack. Dan O'Beirne of the RSGYC took third and Suzanne Flanigan of Ballyholme took the Ladies Championship.

Mark Hassett of Schull SC comfortably won the 4.7 Championships with a 17 point lead over second place Richard Maher from Perth, Australia. 6 points behind in third was Conor O Beirne from the RSGYC followed by the first girl in the fleet Sorcha Ni Shuilleabhain from Kinsale.

The championships, sponsored by Dalkey Optician Paul Gill, was deemed a great success with excellent racing conditions and the Parade of Tall ships and fleet of spectator boats giving a fantastic backdrop on the final day. Full results below.

#LASER - The Irish Laser National Championships begin today in Dun Laoghaire running till Sunday 26 August, and the National Yacht Club has posted all the details Laser sailors will need regarding their visit for the weekend's competition.

Aside from the parking and event info are the all-important social arrangements for competing sailors, kicking off with a welcome barbecue after today's racing with a selection of burgers, spit roast and chicken. Tickets are €10 and available at registration.

Tomorrow will see the NYC AGM at 5pm after the racing in the JB Room, followed at 6.30pm with a special reception for Laser Radial Olympian Annalise Murphy - not to mention soup and rolls for the hungry sailors after their day on the water.

On Saturday the fleet will be treated to a pasta dish coming off the water, followed by a Tall Ships farewell evening in the Docklands. And Sunday's post-competition activities include the prizegiving ceremony and a farewell barbecue.

Full details for Laser sailors are available on the National Yacht Club website HERE.

#RIO 2016 – It's well known that Annalise Murphy was barely off the water in Weymouth before she committed herself to a further few years sailing hard in the Laser Radial class for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

What's probably less well known is that older sister Claudine has also set her sights on Brazil, campaigning in the new Olympic kitesurfing class.

News of the double campaign in the Murphy household was revealed in The Irish Times by Pamela Duncan prior to Annalise's medal race a week ago.

Claudine says there was "big rivalry" between her and Annalise as both pursued success in the Laser Radial, but they also realised that only one of them could represent Ireland in the class at Olympic level. Annalise showed the potential, and Claudine turned her hand to a different class.

“She’s my best friend in the whole world,” says Claudine, who flew in to support her sister from the Caribbean where she is already hard at work campaigning for a spot at the Rio Games in kitesurfing - a somewhat controversial addition to the Olympic schedule.

Meanwhile, Annalise Murphy and the Irish sailing team were welcomed home with a guard of honour at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire yesterday evening.

Annalise also announced plans to take things relatively easy for the next year, returning to UCD next month for a science degree.

"I deferred it three years ago as I didn’t want to put a half-hearted approach into college or sailing," she said. "I’m older now and I feel like I can manage things better.”

#DUN LAOGHAIRE NEWS - Dun Laoghaire will play host to sailing’s most exciting new global championship series when the MOD70 European Tour visits from Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 September.

Ireland has hosted many of the world’s top sailing events during 2012 and the welcoming of this new series surely positions Ireland as one of the best sailing locations in the world. The MOD70 fleet - Race For Water, FONCIA, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, Spindrift Racing and Musandam-Oman Sail - will be hosted by the National Yacht Club (NYC) and the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company (DLHC), and a five-day family festival will be held on the East Pier to celebrate the arrival of the most innovative racing trimarans in the world.

The festival will include food courts, a farmers' market, Fairtrade and ethnic stalls, craft stalls, street entertainers and vintage amusements.

On Friday 7 September and Saturday 8 September the MOD70s will be competing in Dublin Bay in the Dublin City Race and Speed Match Races, and there will be live commentary from the East Pier. The trimarans will then leave Dun Laoghaire at 3pm on Sunday 9 September for the start of the second leg of the European Tour from Dun Laoghaire to Cascais.

Gerry Dunne, CEO of the DLHC, said: "We are delighted to welcome the world’s most innovative trimarans to Dun Laoghaire Harbour which has witnessed 200 years of maritime history. 1.4 million people walk the East Pier on an annual basis and we hope that the hosting of this global event will attract many more people to our beautiful harbour in September."

The high-speed MOD70 class of trimarans are a new innovation for sailing, and have already proven to be the fastest offshore one-design class in the world. Each MOD70 is completely identical, built from the same moulds, so that success – both inshore and offshore – reflects the skills of the sailing crew and not any technological advantage.

"The National Yacht Club has played host to many world championships and in July this year we co-hosted the ISAF Youth World Championships. We are delighted that the MOD70s has chosen Dun Laoghaire to host a stopover on the European Tour and we look forward to thousands of people visiting Dun Laoghaire to enjoy the spectacle," said Paul Barrington, Commodore of the NYC.

The MOD70 European Tour starts in Kiel, Germany before visiting Dublin, Cascais near Lisbon and Marseille before finishing in Genoa, Italy. Over the five weeks of the MOD70 European Tour the teams will sail nearly 5,000 miles over five offshore stages.

The tour is the second event of the Multi One Championship, following on from July’s inaugural Krys Ocean Race which saw the MOD70s race the Atlantic from New York to Brest in France at remarkable speeds. The first three boats finished within less than two hours after traversing the Atlantic in less than five days, with the winning boat making more than 711 miles in one 24-hour period.

Already the MOD70 fleet has attracted a cross-section of some of the best ocean racing sailors in the world. Michel Desjoyeaux of France has twice won the Vendée Globe solo round the world race and skippers FONCIA. There are more than eight sailors across the different boats who hold round the world records including Britain’s Brian Thompson who sails for Musandam-Oman Sail.

Thompson has more than 20 offshore sailing speed records to his name and was the only Briton on board Banque Populaire V when the giant multihull set a new record for sailing non-stop around the world in January.

Marco Simeoni, president of MOD SA, said of Dun Laoghaire's hosting of the tour: "Local knowledge and local expertise in hosting world-class sailing events is widely appreciated. We thank all the institutions involved in this stopover and we look forward to spending five wonderful days in the heart of the local culture. Sports and entertainment is guaranteed in the Dublin Bay from 5-9 September!"

Programme of events

Wednesday 5/Thursday 6 September

• All day Wednesday: Estimated arrival of MOD70s
• 10am–6pm: Food courts, farmers market, Fairtrade and ethnic stalls, craft stalls, family entertainment, vintage amusements (every day)

Friday 7 September

• 2pm: Dublin City Races and Speed Matches Day 1 (vantage points from the East Pier to Sandycove with live commentary from the East Pier)
• 10pm: Firework display in Dun Laoghaire Harbour

Saturday 8 September

• 2pm: Dublin City Races and Speed Matches Day 2

Sunday 9 September

• 3pm: Start of Leg 2 from Dublin (Dun Laoghaire) to Cascais (vantage points from the East Pier to Sandycove with live commentary from the East Pier)

#olympic – Annalise Murphy's achievements in London 2012 a week ago along with the performances of her team mates will be celebrated at a special homecoming event for the Irish Olympic sailors at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire tomorrow.

Annalise's Dun Laoghaire club is the venue for the 2012 sailing team reception. Although the sailing team did not deliver the much sought after medal from Weymouth it captured the attention of the nation when Olympic debutante Annalise took an explosive lead in the Laser Radial class and brought home Ireland's best Olympic sailing result in 32 years, finishing fourth.

The successful Irish Olympic team returns to Dublin tomorrow at lunchtime after a medal haul that equals that of the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. Five medals came from boxing and equestrian sports. On arrival there will be a private team reception at the airport followed by a press conference before the athletes go their separate ways.

The Irish Olympic Sailors achieved the following results:  Laser Radial – Annalise Murphy 4th overall;  Star – Peter O'Leary & David Burrows 10th overall ;  49er – Ryan Seaton & Matt McGovern  14th overall ; 470 – Ger Owens & Scott Flanigan 23rd overall; Laser – James Espey 36th overall.

Tomorrow's homecoming event at 5pm at the National YC is being hosted by the Irish Sailing Association (ISA). The association says it is 'an RSVP event for families and friends of the sailors and not a public event'

Read WM Nixon's post Olympic regatta column here

 #annalisemurphy – You could have heard a pin drop at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire yesterday afternoon with over 70 junior sailors aged 7 to 14 dressed in their wetsuits munching crisps and staring at a big screen in the Dun Laoghaire club house. They were glued to the Olympic sailing from Weymouth but more precisely watching their friend and coach Annalise battling big seas and winds with such skill that she has sailed into the Irish sailing history books.

Then picture the scene when their 22-year old sailing instructor crossed the line to win the fourth race. 'She's Won, She's won! The kids screamed as they poured out of the club and on to the slipway to celebrate. 'Hooray for Annalise!'

The ties between the National Yacht Club children and their sailing star are very strong. Annalise regularly trains youngsters in taking their first tack in the harbour, taking time to make them feel confident. She' s also know for her helpful advice in mentoring teens in racing techniques especially in her chosen Laser dinghy.

But for now Annalise Murphy's mind is on other matters. She is the talk of Weymouth this morning having won all four races in her Laser Radial class so far. She joins Katie Taylor as Ireland's best hope for Gold next week.

It's windy in Dun Laoghaire this morning which means the kids might not get to hone their skills afloat today but there is plenty of action on the telly! Cover your ears if you are anywhere near the NYC today. Annalise is back in action at 12 noon today.

Annalise squeezes her 6' frame into a child's dinghy to teach a pair of six year olds in Dun Laoghaire. Photos: David O'Brien

#NYC – Howth visitor Darragh Sheridan sailing 'Dinghy Supplies' was a clear winner of the SB20 sportsboat division with two wins in Saturday's National Yacht Club Regatta. ALL CLASSES RESULTS DOWMLOADABLE BELOW.

Fifteen gusting to 25–knot south–westerlies ensured few complaints from any of the sailors with a full programme of races for 20 cruiser, keelboat and dinghy classes.

Sheridan topped a 13-boat fleet with Royal St. George boats taking second and third. Barry O'Neill's Sin Bin was second and David Barry and John O'Driscoll shared third, both on 11 points.

In the Dragon class there was a similar result when Royal St. George boats shared the top prizes. David Williams sailing Phantom beat Edinburgh Cup winner Martin Byrne for regatta honours. In a seven boat fleet there was a three way ties for tie for third place between Denis Bergin, Michael Doorly and Michael Halpenny all on eight points.

NYC regatta results available to download as word docs below.