Following an intense weekend of ISORA racing at Strangford Lough, the stage is set for an exciting end-of-season offshore climax to decide the Wolf's Head Trophy.

Clear overall winners are emerging for Class 1 and 2, but there will be a fight in Class Zero in ISORA's last fixture, the John Eadie Race from Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire on September 2nd. 

Overall leader Rockabill VI's absence at the weekend (Paul O'Higgins of the Royal Irish) means her overall lead has been eroded. Race winners Mojito (Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop, Pwllheli SC) and Jackknife Andrew Hall, Pwllheli SC) at Strangford are now snapping at Rockabill VI's heels.

"Quoile Yacht Club provided an excellent host port"

The JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI is on 526.1 points and has an eight-point advantage over the J109 Mojito on 518.0, with the J125 Jackknife on 488.4.

Quoile Yacht Club provided an excellent host port for Strangford's two races. "It was a great opportunity for the ISORA fleet to experience a new and enthusiastic experience in Strangford Lough", ISORA's Peter Ryan told Afloat.  "ISORA will be regularly visiting Quoile YC in the future, " he added. 

Race 15 on Sunday started at 06.30 under the YB tracker and finished in the mid-Irish Sea close to the M2 buoy. YB tracker monitored the start to ensure no boat crossed the start line until the start time of 06.30.

ISORA Results are below

A small but potent ISORA fleet is racing to a Strangford Lough finish this Saturday morning, and ISORA's overall Wolf's Head Trophy for 2023 is at stake.

The race got underway following a postponement due to poor weather conditions on Friday evening.

On the water, the Welsh J125 Jackknife, skippered by Andrew Hall, is heading for line honours and an overall win of the six-boat race, but Pwllheli club mate and defending champion, Mojito (Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop) are chasing hard. At 0915 on Saturday morning, Jackknife had 25 miles to go to reach the Quoile Yacht Club finish line.

ISORA Wolf's Head Trophy defending champions - The J109 Mojito of Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop from North Wales Photo: Afloat

The Holyhead to Strangford fixture was postponed from 7.30 pm on Friday evening to 05.00 am Saturday morning.

The race is from Holyhead Sailing Club to Quoile Yacht Club in Strangford Lough.

The start (above) and finish lines (below) for the ISORA Race 14

After entering the Lough by the Narrows between Portaferry and Strangford village, the fleet will stop over at the nearby Quoile Yacht Club at the southwestern end of the Lough.

A return race on Sunday, starting at 06.30 am, from Strangford to a line ranging from the M2 westwards to Ireland.

As Afloat reported earlier, this marks a new adventure for ISORA, who have spent the season so far competing in coastal and cross-channel fixtures between Dun Laoghaire and Pwllheli. The Northern Ireland-based weekend offers a fresh challenge for participants but there is some disappointment that an entry of 20 was whittled down to six at start time, with some absences also unavoidable due to a date clash with Calves Week in West Cork.

Two Northern Ireland boats are entered into the ISORA race from Holyhead to Strangford Lough, which starts on Friday at 19.30 hrs.

Ross Boyd’s Elan 40 Evenstar from Royal Ulster Yacht Club (RUYC) on Belfast Lough, Quoile YC on Strangford Lough, and Alan Hannon’s JP10.8 Coquine from RUYC.

Northern Ireland skipper Ross Boyd Photo: via Facebook

The Friday 11th night race will finish at the Fairway Buoy and restart at the same location on the Sunday morning of the 13th. After entering the Lough by the Narrows between Portaferry and Strangford village, the fleet will stop over at the nearby Quoile Yacht Club at the southwestern end of the Lough.

"It's the start of opportunities to increase linking offshore sailing across all the regions of the Irish Sea"

Ross was part of the crew on Rob Rendall’s Grand Soleil 44 Race, Samatom with a credible 16 th  out of 100 in IRC Class 1 in what proved to be a very windy and challenging Fastnet race. Ross said that he is delighted to participate in this ISORA race and added that he hopes this will be the start of opportunities to increase linking offshore sailing across all the regions of the Irish Sea.

Quoile Yacht Club is preparing to host the ISORA racers on Strangford Lough Photo: Courtesy QYC

This weekend, the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) will be holding its 14th race from Holyhead in North Wales to Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.

Up to 14 boats are expected to participate in the event, which is organised by the National Yacht Club, Holyhead Sailing Club, Quoile Yacht Club and ISORA. However, some absences are anticipated due to competitors participating in this week's Calves Week in West Cork.

Sailing Instructions for the latest in the Musto ISORA Offshore Series 2023 have been issued, with a start time of 19.30 hours on Friday, August 11th. It has been noted that a time limit will be applied to ensure that boats can enter Strangford Lough with the tide. 

The entries for ISORA Race 14 from Holyhead in North Wales to Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland

Race 15 will begin at 06.30 on Sunday, August 13th, at the same finish line as Race 14. The finish may be a gate close to the M2 weather buoy in the mid-Irish Sea. 

As Afloat reported earlier, this marks a new adventure for ISORA, who have spent the season so far competing in coastal and cross-channel fixtures between Dun Laoghaire and Pwllheli. The Northern Ireland-based weekend offers a fresh challenge for participants.

The Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) is set to embark on a new adventure on August 11th as it heads to Strangford Lough for a Northern Ireland-based weekend. After a season of coastal and cross-channel fixtures between Dun Laoghaire and Pwllheli, ISORA has partnered with the Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough to host a Holyhead, North Wales to the Strangford Lough race. 

The race will commence on August 11th at 7.30 pm with an evening start, followed by a Strangford to a mid-Irish Sea finish starting at 0630 am on Sunday, August 13th. Sailing Instructions are expected to be published shortly for the fixed course races.

ISORA has been providing challenging and competitive offshore racing for over 50 years, and this new venture in 2023 promises to be yet another exciting chapter in its history. With the stunning backdrop of Strangford Lough and the competition set to be renewed after July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, this is not one to be missed, say organisers. 

Leslie Parnell's First 34.7 Black Velvet of the Royal Irish Yacht Club was the overall IRC winner of Saturday's shortened ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Race from Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Second on IRC was sistership, the Greystones Harbour-based Magic Touch skippered by Steve Hayes.

A six-boat fleet set out on a 26-mile course in very light winds at 10 am, but a flood tide meant it took three hours even to reach Muglins Rock on Dublin Bay's southern tip.  

As a result, Race Organiser Peter Ryan shortened the race to finish at the Bray Outfall buoy in Killiney Bay. 

After five hours of racing, five boats finished within seven minutes of each other. One retired. It was, at least, a result on a day that otherwise saw no racing on the Bay due to the light winds.

The line honours winner was John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie. Third on IRC was Howth's J109 Indian, skippered by Simon Knowles.

ISORA's last Irish coastal in 2023 is the night race on the 18th of August which will decide the winner of the Vincent Farrell Trophy.

ISORA has announced Saturday's Race 13 course of its Viking Marine Coastal Series off the Dublin and Wicklow coasts, but a morning of race notice from Race Organiser Peter Ryan warns the course may be shortened.

"The forecasts are most unusual. The race may have to be shortened", Ryan told competitors on Whatsapp at 8 am.

A fleet of six (Nigel Ingram's Farr 30 Wild Haggis withdrew overnight) will sail 26 miles from Dun Laoghaire to Bray via North Kish as follows.

ISORA Course for Race 13 is:

• Start
• Muglins (P)
• Bray (P)
• North Kish (P)
• Bray (S)
• Muglins (P)
• Finish

There will be one all-in start at 10 am. The aim is to have all boats finished by approximately 4 pm at Dun Laoghaire's East Pier head.

Live Dublin Bay webcams may pick up the boats at the start and finish

Seven boats will contest this Saturday's (July 22) ISORA Coastal Race 13 from Dun Laoghaire Harbour, part of the association's 2023 Musto Offshore Series.

The fleet's smaller size this weekend is likely a result of the clash with Saturday's record-breaking Rolex Fastnet Race start that has already led to the cancellation of July 28th's SCORA Fastnet fixture from Kinsale on the south coast.

The UK-based Farr 30 Wild Haggis joins the fleet that includes Howth regular Simon Knowles in the J109 Indian and the National Yacht Club's John O'Gorman in the Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie.

Two Beneteau First 34.7s are also entered with Magic Touch from Greystones Harbour and Leslie Parnell's Black Velvet from the Royal Irish Yacht Club, both coming to the West Pier line.

There will be one all-in start at 10 am. The aim is to have all boats finished by approximately 4 pm.

The course will be published on Friday. All boats sail with YB trackers.

ISORA Coastal Race 13 entries

The Pwhelli Sailing Club, J109 Mojito of Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop, were the winners of the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series raced for as part of this weekend's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

As regular Afloat readers know, the first race was from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, the first of five in the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series. The other four were coastal races as part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. 

The Royal Dee Offshore Champions, the Mojito crew with Peter Ryan of ISORA at Dun Laoghaire Photo: Michael Chester

Royal Irish Yacht Club's Paul O'Higgins sailing Rockabill VI won Saturday's 12-hour Lyver Trophy Race from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire. 

The line honours winner in the tough test across the Irish Sea was Andrew & Sam Hall's J125 Jackknife.

The fixture was also Race 12 in the Musto ISORA 2023 Offshore Series.

Andrew & Sam Hall's J125 Jackknife was the Lyver Trophy Race line honours winner Photo: Afloat

The course took the eight competing boats northwest out of Holyhead before turning towards Wicklow. The course was selected to avoid the overfalls at the South Stacks.

Due to the strong westerly winds, the course to Wicklow was upwind and in large seas. The final leg north, along the coast, was a reach.

Throughout the race, there was a three-way tussle between Jackknife, Rockabill VI and Keith Miller's Prime Suspect from Kilmore Quay Boat Club.

Although finishing in that order, Rockabill VI won the race, the Lyver Trophy and RORC medallion.

The race is the first of five in the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series. The other four are coastal races as part of next week's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. However, Rockabill VI has elected to race in Cruisers 0 in the regatta, so the RIYC crew won’t take any further part in the RDYC championship series.