Since the Melges 15 first arrived in Ireland, exponents say they know it's fast. First out of the traps were Theo Lyttle and 14-year-old nephew Seb Lyttle, who had an impressive 16.7 knots recorded on Strava.

Lyttle’s reign was short-lived as less than ten days later, Ronan and Jack Murphy hit 17 knots.

At this stage the class decided that a trophy should be awarded for the top speed of the year. Hence, the Top Gun Trophy was born. Strict rules, like recording equipment and a safety RIB, were introduced.

Shortly afterwards, the Murphys were back with a top speed of 18.5. Meanwhile, John Sheehy was biding his time, checking Wind Guru, waiting for the perfect conditions. So in late season, Katie and John Sheehy went out and snatched victory with a speed of 18.7 knots (35kph)

Is 20 knots possible?

After a successful demo weekend at the end of October, a full container of twelve Melges 15s will be heading to Howth Yacht Club for Spring 2024 to supplement the existing boat there.

Family is a predominant theme amongst the orders, with cross-generational sailing being a common theme amongst the purchasers.

The demo weekend on October 28/29 saw hourly demo sails from 10 AM to 3 PM each day in Medium to Fresh conditions. While none of the participants had sailed the Melges15 before, they were quick to get to grips with the boat and put her through her paces. Different combinations sailed, Husband and wife, father and daughter, mother son, daughter and friend and even a three-up combination. While rarely raced three up, crews of three are allowed as per class rules, and it was interesting to see this configuration thrive, says Melges 15 Ireland promoter John Sheehy.

Trying out a three-up combination in the Melges 15 dinghy off Howth

Conditions on Saturday, especially the sea state around Ireland’s Eye kept everyone on their toes. Bragging rights for top speed of the day went to skipper Michelle Evans, tagging 15 knots blasting towards Lambay Island with husband Mike trimming the kite. The youngest skipper on the day was Optimist sailor Sarah McLoughlin, showing her dad Mark the way as they zipped around.

A Melges 15 during the demo sessions off Ireland's Eye, Howth Photo: Tom Ryan

Sunday brought new testers and firmer winds. Most sailing took place in the lee of Howth, where, initially, flatter water allowed the sailors to push the boat and themselves to their limits. A particular mention for the sailor celebrating his 70th birthday that weekend who chose 25knots true wind and large choppy waves off Ireland’s eye as the place to celebrate. After a long, fun weekend of sailing, the usual debriefs, and discussions in the bar, Howth sailors are looking forward to this new fleet arriving early next year with plans for weekly sailing and events underway. With a 13-boat fleet, Howth takes over from Dun Laoghaire as the leading fleet in Ireland.

Demo weekends will continue through the Winter in different clubs across the country as the class looks to build on its launch momentum, according to Sheehy.

This past weekend saw a bit of history for the Melges 15 as it raced for the first time under the Portsmouth Yardstick handicap system.

The PY system, as it is known, aims to handicap dinghies based on their relative performance against the other boats they race with.

Howth Yacht Club, home of the second fleet of Melges 15s in Ireland, was the location; their Round Ireland's Eye Race was the event.

As Afloat reported earlier, this race kicked off the 49th year of Winter Racing for Howth Yacht Club and allows competitors to choose which way to race around ‘Ireland’s eye’ a small island just off Howth. The sailors start, choose to round the Island clockwise or anticlockwise and then get back to the finish as quickly as possible.

Racing under a provisional PY of 973, two Melges 15’s competed. Mike Evans crewed by Troy Hopkins entered the demo Melges 15 (#561) while Dad and daughter duo Cormac and Aoibhin Farrelly sailed their own boat (#635). Despite it being their first-ever race in the boat, Mike and Troy blasted around the Island, finishing third across the line and second overall on PY.

Howth Yacht Club Round Ireland's Eye Race PY results

With a demo weekend recently completed and a large order of boats due to arrive in the Spring of next year, according to agent John Sheehy, excitement in Howth will continue to build through the Winter for more Melges 15 sailing days ahead!

Howth Yacht Club says the Melges 15 dinghy, a new one design boat, is set to arrive in the club later this month.

The boat is touted as a fun, fast and affordable option that has already gained popularity in the USA and established a fleet in Ireland, with ten boats now sailing in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

HYC is hosting an information night with John Sheehy, from Melges Ireland, on Thursday, 26 October, at 7:30 pm  to provide information and answer any questions.

A Melges 15 will be rigged up, and ready to go on the night, and HYC members are also invited to test sail the boat over the weekend of 28-29 October, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day.

As Afloat previously reported, built for stability and with a large, easily handled sail area, the Melges 15 offers the possibility for many crew combinations. In the US, there are family members sailing together, female-only crews and teenage crews, making it a versatile boat for the future of sailing. The Melges 15 is also perfect for parents who want to race with their children, and ideal for students, first-time sailors, and anyone else seeking an affordable, approachable boat.

Dinghy sailors faced a variety of wind conditions while competing in Royal St. George's Grant Thornton Sprint Regatta on Dublin Bay.

The event featured nine Melges 15 and 50 ILCAs.

Melges 15 and ILCA dinghies launch for their Sprint regatta at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour

The sailors had to navigate through shifting winds throughout the races, ranging from 15 knots to near-calm conditions. 

The race course under Race Officer Barry O'Neill (below) was located in the northwest of Dublin Bay and attracted nine Melges 15 and 50 ILCAs for October's Sprint regatta at the Royal St. George Yacht Club

Race Officer Barry O'Neill and his team conducted five ILCA races and six Melges 15 races to complete the event.

McCartin and Kinsella Reign in the Melges 15

Barry McCartin and Conor Kinsella sailed the demo boat for the Melges 15 Regatta, held in the bay for the first time.

Melges sailors coping with one of many wind resets during the  Royal St. George's Grant Thornton Sprint Regatta on Dublin Bay

Darragh O'Connor, a Howth sailor, joined the fleet with Sligo Yacht Club's Lauren Donaghy. The crews consisted of various family and friend combinations, including husband and wife, father and daughter, and uncle and niece teams.

Mary O'Loughlin and Karena Knaggs (563) were one of the all-female teams in the Melges 15 fleet

Barry and Conor won the first two races, thanks to their cool decision-making in windy conditions. The Melges sailors got a chance to sail the angles downwind and achieved top speeds of 16.3 knots as the wind picked up. After the dust settled, it was Barry and Conor who won the race, with John and Katie leading the Melges' charge.

The impressive brand new Dublin Bay Melges 15 fleet line up for one of six starts at the Royal St. George's Grant Thornton Sprint Regatta off Dun Laoghaire Harbour

Eve McMahon is ILCA 6 Sprint Winner

The ILCA fleet, featuring just over 50 boats, was equally impressive, with the ILCA 6 fleet comprising 30 boats.

An ILCA start at the Royal St. George's Grant Thornton Sprint Regatta on Dublin Bay

Eve McMahon emerged as the winner throughout the day, while Sean Craig from the host club won the Masters category.

ILCA s blast to spreader mark at the Royal St. George's Grant Thornton Sprint Regatta on Dublin Bay

The ILCA4s saw some extremely tight racing, with Marcus Shelley taking the win, while Tom Coulter emerged as the winner of the ILCA7 race.

Grant Thornton played an important role in the event as sponsors. Both fleets were grateful for their support throughout the event.

Despite the different angles and speeds, the ILCAs and Melges 15 boats managed to perform well throughout the races and are already looking forward to next year's Sprint Regatta.

Royal St. George's Grant Thornton Sprint Regatta Results

Organisers of Saturday's one-day inaugural Melges 15 'Sprint' championship on Saturday with ILCA/Laser dinghies managed to six races despite some light and fickle winds on Dublin Bay. 

Making a guest appearance in the Melges 15 dinghy was Fireball and RS400 ace Barry MacCartin of the host club, who immediately impacted the new fleet's pecking order.

The Grant Thornton sponsored Melges 15 & ILCA ‘8-Race Championship’ was open to Laser Standard (ILCA 7), Laser Radial (ILCA 6) and Laser 4.7 (ILCA 4) and the new Melges 15 fleet and attracted a combined total fleet of over 50 boats.

Final results are being computed, and an overall report will appear on Afloat shortly.

Update Sunday 8th October 12 noon: Results here

Irish Melges 15 sailors got some high and low-speed lessons in boat handling and sail trim in Dun Laoghaire Harbour last weekend. With top US sailor Eddie Cox from Melges USA flying in, tips and tricks were raining down all weekend.

Saturday brought strong north easterlies and big swells, but thankfully, there was no rain! After a 'chalk talk' ashore, the Irish sailors put these new lessons into practice.

Best-laid plans of races and drills were soon abandoned as in the strong, gusty conditions, everyone just wanted to let it rip.

It was the first experience for everyone of sailing the boats in big swells, and it was quickly apparent that flat water was where the top speeds could be reached. As a result sailing by and large took place in the harbour.

With some ex 29er sailors jumping in the boats, learning was on overdrive as everyone was hanging off the back of their M15s to send it! Shout out to father and son duo Ronan and Conn Murphy, who had bragging rights for the day (and within their own family) with a top speed of 18.5 knots.

After nearly three hours on the water, everyone was happy to return ashore and study footage of the day's action.

Sunday brought totally different conditions, with very light airs, tide, and rain to negotiate to the windward mark. Downwind sailing suddenly shifted from the blasting of Sunday to gentle balletic movements as sailors looked to keep speed and thus apparent wind up at all costs! With six training races sailed in an ever-dropping wind, training moved ashore with one final debrief and dreams of sailing the Melges 15 mid-winters in Florida next year.

Melges Performance Sailboats is delighted to announce the opening of Melges Ireland. Melges Ireland is the newest international dealer of the Melges 15, Melges 14, and Melges 24.

Detailed specifications of the boats can be found on the new website 

The effort is led by John Sheehy, a lifelong Dublin Bay sailor and the mover for bringing the Melges 15 to Dublin Bay. At Sheehy’s behest, a container of a dozen Melges 15s made its way to private owners at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in May 2023.

“As a father of three boys, wanting to get back into dinghy sailing, I was looking for a boat that was stable enough to take my kids out, allowed for one-design racing with old team race crews and was super fast, easy and fun,” explained Sheehy. “When I saw the Melges 15 win Sailing World’s Boat of the Year Award 2022, it caught my attention. A call to Eddie Cox at Melges, along with feedback from US team racing friends, confirmed that the Melges 15 was the boat I had been searching for.”

Since the arrival of the fleet of Melges 15s in Ireland, the group has been racing weekly with plans for frostbiting in the off-season. (The boat has a provisional PY of 973).

Melges Ireland also took a boat on a five-stop demo tour around the country, with the boat heading to the National Yacht Club this week.

The Dublin Bay Fleet has its first training regatta with Cox from Melges on September 16-17. Cox, who has led the design and testing of the M15 from the start, will be adding some expert tips and lessons based on what’s working to date with the 650+ boats that are already racing in the US. With friendly rivalries already cemented, the Irish National Championship will be hosted October 7-8 at the Royal Saint George Yacht Club, Dublin.

RIYC Cadets and Instructors test the demo Melges 15 dinghy

The boat is already proving itself as a true crossover boat on Irish waters, according to Sheehy. The hull shape was designed in consultation with Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design with the goal to maximize stability while still maintaining an easily driven hull form in lighter wind. This means the boat is stable enough for beginners and older sailors while having the performance to keep better sailors coming back for more.

It’s proving a hit with families where all sorts of family combos such as Mum+Dad, Dad+son, Brother+Sister , Uncle+Niece. All these combos have already been sailing in Ireland.

Close racing on a very calm Dublin Bay Wednesday night in Ireland's newest dinghy class, the Melges 15

One family owner, Laser Masters sailor Theo Lyttle said “ When I first heard about the possibility of the Melges 15 coming to Ireland, I wondered could this be the new dinghy class for Ireland? Well, I am happy to say I think it is. It's fast, easy to sail, and dare I say comfortable. All my family have been sailing in the Melges 15. I think it's going to be a great boat to get people back into dinghy sailing. “

Lough Ree Yacht Club has been the first Melges15 demo boat tour stop. One of the M15s is touring her way around the country over the Summer.

Nearing the end of her time at Lough Ree, the boat has been sailed in all conditions, including strong winds and flat seas, a good recipe for speed records.

John Malone and John McGonigle wasted no time (below) putting the boat through her paces, hitting over 18 knots of boatspeed after just taking the boat out of the wrapper. 

Next up on tour is a trip to North Dublin where sailors at Howth Yacht Club and Skerries Sailing Club can try out the boat and put her through her paces.

Melges 15 demo boat tour stop

Last Friday may have brought grey skies and rain to Dublin Bay, but it also brought wind, finally giving the chance for the new Melges 15 sailors to cut loose on the bay.

Having previously held the speed record, Laser Masters sailor Theo Lyttle was quick to take advantage of the fresh south easterly conditions.

Sailing with his visiting nephew Seb (14), Team Lyttle hit 16.7 knots of boatspeed in the video below to reclaim the title of the Bay’s Top Gun.

Remarkably it was Seb’s second time flying a spinnaker.

Above and below: Theo Lyttle was quick to take advantage of the fresh South Easterly conditions

While the new class continues to grow in its first season on the Bay, a demo boat will travel around the country this summer and arrived at its first destination, Lough Ree Yacht Club, last weekend.