One of the advantages of East Coast sailing is that much of the weather and winds come from the west, and thus, Race Officers at Howth trying to slice a brief but real winter contest out of any approaching weather window have input from several met stations, while there’ll usually also be an informative contact in Dublin Airport.

So although Howth’s quick Sunday morning dash for dinghies was sailed with the competitors and race officers unaware that a lethal tornado was about to strike Leitrim away to the northwest, nevertheless, they knew it had to be done in jig time.

And fortunately, it was all helped by it being High Water, when the options on readily available sheltered dinghy race areas is greatly increased, although the days when racing in almost any weather could be provided inside the then-undeveloped Howth Harbour when the tides are in are now long gone.

That was then….despite stormy conditions outside, in 1984, good dinghy racing was still available at high water in the shelter of Howth Harbour, and here Philip Watson has a commanding lead as he throws a quick gybe precisely where the Howth clubhouse’s snooker room is now located. Photo: W M Nxion

TWENTY-FIVE GRAB THEIR CHANCE

Twenty-five sailors arrived down to Howth YC on Sunday morning after a few days of wondering whether racing could proceed at all, given the variety of ferocious forecasts available. Racing in the cruiser’s Brass Monkey series the day prior was unfortunately cancelled due to the wind conditions, but hope was held for the HYC Dinghy Frostbites participants on Sunday’s sunny morning.

Some sailors ventured to the end of the pier before racing to get a sense of what the future held, but arrived back at the club less than confident that racing would proceed. However, the Race Officer team of Harry Gallagher, Neil Murphy and Liam Dineen ventured out to the racecourse on Sea Wych, and after assessing the conditions and observing a drop in the breeze, gave the signal for the fleet to launch. Conditions while the fleet were launching were 5-10 knots from the south, giving them a fine run out to the start area, though as the course was laid, the wind began to shift to the west as forecasted, and build in strength.

A triangular course was set, and the fleets began racing in steady breeze in the late teens. An ebb tide and a westerly breeze saw boats being kept away from the start line, although as the fleet made their way up the course, they experienced some leftover easterly rollers from days gone by helping them upwind, and then some opposing steep chop against them as they came closer to the shore.

As the race progressed, the wind began building, and the race officers saw up to 28 knots on the anemometer. The decision was made to finish racing early and send everyone ashore after a single race of a shortened course, but that was more than enough to provide a real sunny sailing tonic for crews coming cheerfully ashore with only ten days to the shortest day of the year.

Rory Lynch of Baltimore SC racing at Howth on Sunday as the big wind starts to build from the west. Photo: Neil Murphy

In the ILCA 7s, Daragh Kelleher (Skerries) continued his run of form with a win, followed closely by Conor Murphy (Howth) and Rory Lynch (Baltimore). A second discard came into effect after the race, leaving Rory on top of the series, closely followed by Daragh.

Current RS Aero National Champion Daragh Sheridan has continued his winning ways in the Frostbite Series at Howth, where he hit a top speed of 15.8 knots on Sunday morning. Photo: HYC

In the ILCA 6s, Peter Hasset (Dublin Bay SC) showed his experience and led through the finish line, leaving Daragh Peelo (Malahide) and Tom Fox (Rush) to round out the podium. Tom leads the series but it's all to play for coming into the final week.

In the ILCA 4s, only HYC’s Irish Optimist National Champion Harry Dunne – now racing Lasers - made it to the finish line. Oleksandr Bezpalyi (Obolon SC) leads the series with an impressive 8 points counting after 8 races, unlikely to be caught before the end of the series.

"Seize the day!" Was this the only spinnaker set in Ireland on Sunday? Conor Twohig and Matthew Cotter make the best of the sunshine and a fair wind in their GP14 at Howth on Sunday morning. Photo: @thewrongtrousers14165

In the PYs, Daragh Sheridan's RS Aero (HYC) excelled on the broad reaches of the triangle, hitting a top speed of 15.8 knots. Conor Twohig's GP14 (HYC) couldn't compete with the Aero in those conditions, taking home 2nd place.

The pre-Christmas series of the HYC Dinghy Frostbites concludes next week, although a new series will begin on Sunday, January 7th. A New Year's Day race is also scheduled for 1st Jan, which all are welcome to, entry and details to be published shortly.

Results are available below

The European ILCA 6 Youth Championships 2024 will be sailed at Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough next season.

“This is a very significant championship for Europe’s youth sailors and hosting the event is a feather in the cap for both the club and for the region,” says Rob Milligan, Ballyholme Yacht Club Commodore.

The club is no stranger to hosting major dinghy sailing championships and next year Belfast Lough will see around 300 IlCA 6s (previously known as Laser Radials). The club has 122 years of racing experience behind it and now is seen as a family-friendly water sports centre that champions participation, enjoyment and excellence in water sports for all skill levels and ages. Today, in addition to sailing, the club provides training and access to a diverse range of water sports, including paddleboarding, kayaking, swimming, powerboating, and windsurfing.

"Racing will take place over eight days from 27th July to the 3rd of August 2024"

Young sailors aged 15-19 from around 42 European countries will make the trip to Bangor with their families and some 80 coaches. The event is a major coup for BYC and indeed for Northern Ireland. Principal Race Officer will be club member Robin Gray will lead a team which includes visiting International Race Officers from England, Tom Rusbridge and Paul Jackson. The event Organiser is ex-Commodore Aidan Pounder.

ILCA youth racing on Belfast Lough

The ILCA 6 Youth European Championships is a major sailing event, where the competitors race single-handed in an Olympic class dinghy, formerly known as a Laser.

The event will take place over eight days from 27th July to the 3rd of August 2024.

Pounder says the Club is absolutely delighted to be awarded the hosting of the EurILCA 6 Youth European Championships and Open European Trophy. “This is a very significant championship for Europe’s youth sailors and hosting this event is fantastic news for UK and Irish sailing. The young sailors are representing their countries, and success at these championships is an important step not only in their own development, but future representation for their respective countries in World and Olympic class events. We are really looking forward to July and delivering a fantastic event which will bring the sailing community together and see the Borough thriving”.

The announcement of the Club’s successful bid to host the prestigious Championships was formalised recently when the EurILCA Chairperson, Jean-Luc Michon, flew in from France to meet the event organisers. After a tour of Bangor as part of a familiarisation visit and a review of the facilities, organisational plans and seeing the sights of the city, Michon shared his enthusiasm for the venue saying: “We’ve found the facilities to be very good, and with the highly experienced organising team in place, there is no doubt that we will have a great ILCA Youth European Championship at Ballyholme next summer”.

Rob Milligan, Club Commodore, explained, “BYC won the bid thanks to the club’s impressive track record of organising many ‘gold cup’ championships such as the F18 World Championships, the Topper Worlds and the World Police and Fire Games along with many other regional and national events. We also benefit from our fantastic location, which offers a top-level competition environment on the open waters of Belfast Lough,”

Another important aspect for the club and indeed EurILCA, was the ability to deliver a ‘Clean Regatta’. BYC holds a very strong marine environmental position, and the club is proud to be signed up to the Green Blue Pledge, hold platinum level Clean Regattas Certification and Final Straw Certification, all of which aligns with EurILCA’s values and has put BYC in an excellent position to meet EurILCA’s sustainability requirements.

The success in hosting such major events hinges on the generous contributions of the BYC volunteers, the support of other sailing clubs, the local community, and Ards and North Down Borough Council, who underpin the commitment necessary.
Milligan added, “The evidenced benefit to the community in delivering such events is a substantial economic boost to the borough and wider community as a whole. With competitors and their supporters often arriving weeks before the event, accommodation bookings, dining, and participation in local activities and tourism experiences are all set to soar. Having travelled to Northern Ireland for the competition, we are encouraging our visitors to stay and experience all that the region has to offer tourists. It will be a busy summer”.

Several Irish sailors competed successfully at the 2023 event in Poland, including many familiar with the waters of Belfast Lough. Among them were Bobby Driscoll, Dan Palmer, and Zoe Whitford, who are associated with NI clubs.

In May 2022, a sailing incident transformed Kevin Doyle's life. While competing in an ILCA dinghy, Kevin suffered a spinal injury that not only tested his resilience but also reshaped his connection to the sport. Ten months later, he found himself charting new waters at his club, the Royal St. George Yacht Club, steering his 2.4mR boat 'Miss Lizzy' with a renewed spirit and purpose. Unable to resume his previous professional work due to his injury, Kevin turned his attention to a unique aspect of sailing that blends skill, creativity, and community: the intricate art of splicing control lines for fellow sailors.

During his hospital stay following an on-the-water incident in an ILCA in May 2022, Doyle's attention turned to the 2.4mR class. He researched the class thoroughly, and upon his discharge from the hospital in December 2022, he found himself back on the water by March 2023.

Royal St. George Yacht Club member and Laser sailor Kevin Doyle's (above) attention has now turned to the 2.4mR class (below)

The transition from a wheelchair to the 2.4mR “Miss Lizzy” was a significant milestone for Kevin on his road to recovery. The transition from ILCA to 2.4mR also brought a new learning curve in terms of boat handling and control. In particular, he was struck by the dramatic increase in control lines from three in the ILCA to fifteen in the 2.4mR.

Having made contact with the current 2.4mR World champion, Heiko Kroger, and learning how to optimise the setup, he put a plan together on how to rig the boat. With the assistance of staff and members at the club, Kevin set about rigging his 2.4mR for use tailored to his own disability.

With the volume of lines and knots in the 2.4mR, Kevin set about learning how to splice lines in order to improve the performance inside the cockpit. Following some further research and taking some hints from how ILCA lines are set up for maximum depowering capability, he set up the cunningham in his 2.4mR with an 8:1 setup. The outcome was so much better than he thought it would be.

After that, there was no holding back. Soon the remaining lines in the 2.4mR were spliced which drew the attention of fellow club members, including some ILCA and Fireball sailors.

Marco Sorgassi, the 2023 ILCA Ireland Master Champion, took particular interest as he was looking to fine-tune his rigging.

Marco asked Kevin about the possibility of splicing his control lines for his ILCA. "We took Marcos's existing pulleys, and he provided me with his newly selected primary and secondary control lines from our friends in Viking Marine. I did a custom fit for Marco's setup. We took the standard measurements for the control lines but tailored them to his preferred lengths.” said Kevin.

(Above and below)  Kevin Doyle (left) with some of his fellow sailors who have benefited from his splicing skills (Dave Coleman and Oisin Hughes are pictured) 

Word soon got around about the quality and attention to detail of the splicing, and shortly afterwards, Doyle set about his second splicing project, a new vang, cunningham and outhaul, for another club ILCA sailor, Brendan Hughes. It seems that standard pre-spliced lines from international chandeliers are not always perfect for individual setups, so Kevin has found a niche in customising the settings to people’s needs.

One of Kevin Doyle's neat splices for the ILCA dinghy rigging

What started as a necessity for Kevin has blossomed into a valuable service for fellow sailors, illustrating how personal challenges can sometimes lead to new opportunities. Kevin has continuously expressed his gratitude to the local sailing community who rallied around him after his injury, and he sees this as a way he can pay back the kindness he was shown.

As Kevin says, “For me it's more than just splicing, it's my anchor. I’ve found my tribe in the Royal St George Yacht Club and the ILCA class. I find it massively therapeutic, to be honest, as there's something about working with my hands. Along with that, and even more importantly, I still feel that I belong. Doing some splicing is my way of saying thanks to all the people who supported me over the past year. What’s great is that I can also see the impact of the work I do splicing in real time on the water.”

RYA Northern Ireland has officially named its performance squads for the ILCA and Topper classes ahead of the 2023/24 season.

According to RYANI, selection for both squads was based on the performance throughout the year across various events, both international and local — including the RYANI Youth Championships, which took place in September at Ballyholme Yacht Club.

RYANI performance manager Andrew Baker said: “The squads are great way to support committed sailors in their progression and it’s a critical step towards helping them at national level competition.”

For more details, including the full list of both performance squads, see the RYA website HERE.

Topper dinghy sailing is going strong this winter at Royal Cork Yacht Club, four months after the Munster Club successfully staged the massive 250-boat Topper World Championships in Crosshaven.

On Sunday, both Topper and ILCA youth sailors hit the water for winter training and the first race of the club's winter dinghy frostbite league at the same time as the club's November/December White Sail keelboat League got underway in Cork Harbour.

The ILCA 7 fleet featured some dramatic racing between the ILCA 7s and a single RS Aero 7 sailed by Emmet O’Sullivan from MBSC, who swapped the outright lead several times in each race. Jonathan O’Shaughnessy leads by a point from Micheal O’Suilleabhain, in

In the Topper fleet, Ellen MacDonagh and Kate Deane traded first places, but MacDonagh leads after day one.

See Bob Bateman's photo gallery of Sunday's training below

Howth Yacht Club's heavy weather specialist Eve McMahon conquered strong Moroccan wind and waves to win the single race of day three and move into the overall lead of the ILCA U21 World Championships in Tangier.

The Paris 2024 campaigner is one of five Irish sailors competing. 

Trademark Atlantic waves and Mediterranean winds over 25 knots produced exciting conditions for the Mens ILCA 7 and ILCA 6 Women U21 racing.

The ILCA 6 fleet had two starts, the first being called back on a general recall, and the second good start was held under a black flag.

As the race progressed, the wind was gusty at the top mark, giving momentary respite before a tough downwind leg.

In first position at mark 1 was McMahon (IRL 216111), who was also today’s winner, closely followed by SUI 220286.

The situation in the ILCA 7 yellow fleet was similar as the first sailor to round mark 1, UKR 222721, was also the winner of race 1. In the ILCA 7 blue fleet, the top position went to ITA 221725.

Results are here

Howth Yacht Club's Eve McMahon is lying second overall after four races sailed at the 2023 ILCA U21 World Championships in Tangier, Morocco.

The Paris 2024 campaigner is one of five Irish sailors competing. 

Wednesday started cloudy, with rain showers coming and going over the racecourse and the city of Tangier.

The sea conditions were slightly different today as there was a swell from the northwest and the wind from the southwest. The wind conditions were quite unstable across the racecourse, as the wind at the start line was more substantial than at mark 1, which was significantly weaker. The wind intensity ranged from 6 knots at the top marks and up to 12 knots at the start line, with gusts up to 15 knots.

In the first race of the day, the ILCA 6 fleet had three starting procedures, starting with a general recall, followed by a cancelled start due to a wind shift, and a final good start under a black flag. The ILCA 6 first race was the outer course, with Josephine Heegaard from Denmark arriving first to mark one. The race was very close until the last moment when the race was won by Italian Emma Mattivi. In the second race, the winner was again Emma Mattivi; nonetheless, with one discard after four races, the top female sailor was Josephine Heegaard.

In the male ILCA 7 yellow fleet, the racing was tight, and each sailor demonstrated their skill and expertise in the very technical swell and shifty conditions. In race one, the first place went to Italian Attilio Borio, and in race 2 Haruto Kuroda from Japan took the top spot. In the blue fleet, Finley Dickinson of United Kingdom won both races of the day. The top Irish sailor is Royal St. George's Ficachra McDonnell in 66th.

Results are here

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

Viking Marine of Dun Laoghaire Harbour is proud to announce its latest partnership as the exclusive dealer of PSA (Performance Sailcraft Australia) ILCA dinghies on the island of Ireland.

This exciting collaboration brings the highly anticipated PSA ILCA dinghies to Ireland, offering sailors an opportunity to experience top-tier performance like never before.

The PSA ILCA dinghies are the result of meticulous craftsmanship, drawing on valuable insights from accomplished ILCA/Laser sailors from around the globe.

These boats are widely considered among the best-built ILCA dinghies and not only uphold but elevate the standards set by the PSA Race series.

PSA ILCA dinghies are in stock now at Viking Marine of Dun Laoghaire Harbour and available at an exclusive launch price

The Elite series offered by Viking Marine includes a range of enhancements that will delight ILCA enthusiasts. Key features of the PSA ILCA Elite series include: Composite Upper Mast, a Carbon Tiller and Extension, and Harken rigging.

These Australian-made ILCAs have become a favourite among top-level sailors.

Sailors can choose from a range of options: ILCA 7 (Standard), ILCA 6 (Radial) or ILCA 4 (4.7) configurations. Each variant offers distinct advantages and performance characteristics to cater to sailors of all levels and preferences.

Boats are in stock now and available at an exclusive launch price.

Viking Marine has a longstanding reputation for offering top-quality marine products and services, and this exclusive distribution agreement with PSA reaffirms its commitment to delivering excellence to the sailing community.

The PSA ILCA dinghies are the result of meticulous craftsmanship, drawing on valuable insights from accomplished ILCA/Laser sailors from around the globe

For more information about the PSA ILCA dinghies and to explore the full range of options available, please visit vikingmarine.ie or contact the team at [email protected] or +353 1 280 6654.

Viking Marine is a leading provider of marine chandlery, clothing, and accessories in Ireland. With a passion for sailing and a commitment to delivering top-notch products and services, Viking Marine has been serving the maritime community in Ireland for 35 years.

As part of this summer's Royal Cork Yacht Club RCYC 'At Home' regatta, the ILCA/Laser fleet took on the Blackrock to Crosshaven passage race in Cork Harbour.

The ILCAs launched at Cork Boat Club and headed downriver with a falling tide and following wind to cover the more than ten-mile course in under ninety minutes.

ILCA/Laser sailors prepare for the Blackrock to Crosshaven passage race in Cork Harbour at Cork Harbour Boat Club

The ILCA/Laser Blackrock to Crosshaven passage race fleet head downriver with a falling tide and following wind

The fleet had 18-20 knots directly behind them all the way across Lough Mahon, which caused several boats to flip, but the next leg through Passage was significantly more friendly.

The ILCA/Laser Blackrock to Crosshaven passage race fleet had 18-20 knots of wind for the race

The ILCA 4s were allowed to go inside Spike Island, while the ILCA 6s and 7s had to go the long way round as part of the handicap.

Passing the Naval base at Haulbowline at Cobh

The leading ILCA 4, Craig O'Neill, was more than halfway across Curlane Bank when the leading ILCA 6s of Robert Jeffreys and Joe O'Sullivan got around Spike.

The final beat to the club against the tide and the usual trickiness at the Coveney Pier finally sorted out a winner, with Joe O'Sullivan making it to the RCYC marina in one hour, and thirty-six minutes which, given the favourable tide and wind conditions, may be setting a very difficult time to beat in future years.