#vdlr – Over a third of entries for July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2013 are coming from outside Dublin Bay. See entry list below. The buoyant statistic for Dun Laoghaire's combined clubs regatta was revealed yesterday as a current entry tot of 310 boats received to date was announced.

The organisers of Ireland's biggest sailing event look set to top 400 boats with three months to the first gun on Dublin Bay.

Earlier this month Afloat.ie reported eight of nine of the IRC zero entries for July's competition are overseas entries. The exception is the defending IRC champion, the Howth based Mills 36, Crazy Horse skippered by Norbert Reilly.

Entries received to date are spread across a good mix of visiting clubs from Ireland and overseas with all of the visiting clubs represented bringing additional boats who have yet to enter so the estimation would be that VDLR numbers of visiting big boats will be up from 2011.

A breakdown of entries received to date is below.

VDLR 2013 Entries to date:

#vdlr – With a week still to go on its early bird entry and over three months to the close of entry, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta (VDLR) has received over 120 entries for what is expected again to be Ireland's biggest regatta again in 2013.

Entries received to date are spread across a good mix of visiting clubs from Ireland and overseas with all of the visiting clubs represented bringing additional boats who have yet to enter so the estimation would be that VDLR numbers of visiting big boats will be up from 2011.

In another boost for regatta chairman Adam Winkelmann the entries received so far (see below for full list) are up at least 30% on this time two years ago.

The J24's will be holding their Eastern championships and will be racing within IRC 3 division. The hope is is that it will attract additional J24's in advance of the Nationals and Worlds later in the summer at Howth YC.

VDLR 2013 Entries to date:

#vdlr – More than half of the champions from Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2011 have indicated (see table below) they will be back this July to defend their respective titles in Ireland's biggest regatta.

The biennial event features over 28 different racing classes and organisers are already predicting a strong turnout of up to 400 boats with UK entries part of the early entries to date. A separate bid has been made urging more Cork sailors to attend this year.

Among those returning for the battle of the bay inlcude IRC Class Zero winner (and the new ICRA commodore) Norbert Reilly at the helm of the Mills 37 Crazy Horse from Howth.

Class one winner, the j109 Something Else skippered by John Hall from the National Yacht Club is also back.

In the one design classes Ben Duncan is defending in the SB20s, Tim Goodbody in the Sigma 33s, David Gorman in the Flying Fifteens. In the dinghy classes John Ross Murphy will be racing Little Tern in the Water Wag class (one of the biggst dinghy classes on the bay).

The full list of 2011 VDLR champions (compiled by VDLR) is below.

#vdlr – Dun Laoghaire's Phil Smith urged Cork sailors to make a special effort to race at this year's Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta, the country's biggest sailing event  when he presented the Notice of Race (NOR) for the biennial event to delegates at Saturday's ICRA Conference in Kilkenny. Download the full notice of race document below as a pdf.

Smith's appeal to Munster crews came during a novel presentation for the July 11-14 event on the Capital's waters that included a free raffle for two tickets to 'ANGLO: The Musical' now showing at the Bord Gais theatre in Dublin.

Smith told delegates that VDLR 2013 was again aiming to bring good value for sailors with free berthing part of each entry fee. An 'early bird' entry fee will be in operation until 31 March 2013.  The Notice of race includes racing for up to 28 fleets, including kiteboards. Cost of entry for IRC zero and one is €350 for early birds with dinghy entry fees starting at €90

The event which been underway since 2005 has attracted as many as 520 boats in past editions is organised by Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not for profit company which is beneficially owned by the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), the National Yacht Club (NYC), the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and the Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

In spite of a healthy entry of over 300 boats for July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, organisers have extended the early bird entry incentive discount (due to close yesterday) for another two weeks.

Current Entries to the country's biggest sailing regatta stand at 320. There are  61 yacht clubs represented and over one third of the boats entered are visitors to Dublin Bay.  Entries have been received rom Denmark, Germany, France, England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, N.Ireland.

Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary, Afloat.ie's Sailor of the Year, is an early entry for July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta that has already attracted 100 entries, 50% of which are come from outside the Dublin Bay area. 

The hope is O'Leary (who will be sailing Antix Beag) will be joined by a Crosshaven club mate Conor Phelan (sailing Jump), both are previous cruiser class winners in the 17-division championships that starts this year on July 7.

The biennial event, hosted by all four waterfront clubs, prides itself as Ireland's biggest sailing event. Seven nations and 32 yacht clubs are represented. So far 14 clubs are coming from England, two from Scotland, two from Wales, one from the Isle of Man and one from France.

The massive event that is expecting up to 500 entires is chaired this time by local sportsboat sailor Adam Winkelmann.

Dublin clubs have not been slow to enter early either. As expected Dun Laoghaire's own waterfront leads the way; The Royal Irish YC has 19, the National YC has 11, the Royal St George YC nine and the Dun Laoghaire Motor YC three entries.

Click this link for the latest Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Join the Regatta on Afloat's facebook page here.

The Irish Marine Federation (IMF) is to launch a case study on the socio-economic significance of the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta tomorrow. The biennial event attracted an entry of 449 entries and is the biggest regatta in Ireland. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly three million to the local economy.

Since 2003 the team behind Afloat magazine has also been producing high-end, internationally appealing and entertaining factual documentaries on the Irish waterways. The production team are a mix of creative, technical and business people whose expertise guarantees an innovative approach to production and a high-quality finished product. The focus is on marine based programmes which entertain and educate. The work has been broadcast on RTE One and internationally on Sky Channels.

The Bay

Screened on RTE One in 2005.

Take a trip around the one half of Ireland's capital city you probably know the least. A new four-part documentary series, The Bay will be screened over four consecutive Wednesdays in May. Using spectacular aerial and underwater footage, the series features a combination of personality-led interviews and themes to tell the story of Dublin's unique waterway. Dublin Bay stretches over six kilometres, from Howth Head on its northern tip to Dalkey Island in the south. It's a place most Dubliners simply take for granted, and one of the capital's least visited places. But there's more going on out there than you'd imagine. And that's why The Bay was made. The series introduces viewers to the rich diversity of activities and personalities around the bay, while also touching on the serious environmental and political issues facing it. Find out more about the bay here.

The Harbour

Screened on RTE One in 2007.

It’s one of the largest natural harbours in the world – and those living near Cork Harbour insist that it’s also one of the most interesting. This was the last port of call for the most famous liner in history, the Titanic, but it has been transformed into a centre for chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Giraffe wander along its shores, from which tens of thousands of men and women left Ireland, most of them never to return. The harbour is home to the oldest yacht club in the world, and to the Irish Navy. This deep waterway has also become a vital cog in the Irish economy. ‘The Harbour’ is not a history programme, nor is it a news focus. It’s simply an exploration of this famous waterway, its colour and its characters. Find out more about the harbour here.

The Estuary

Screened on RTE One in 2007.

The story of the Shannon estuary might well be one of neglect, except that against the odds this waterway has become one of Ireland's greatest natural resources. Windswept, sitting on the edge of the Atlantic, often ignored by the nation. The story of the Shannon estuary might well be one of neglect, except that against the odds this waterway has become one of Ireland's greatest natural resources. A new four-part documentary series, from the makers of RTÉ's The Bay and The Harbour series, uncovers the secrets of the Shannon Estuary. From flying boats to film-making, wildlife to wind-farms, the series reveals how a 100km-stretch of the Shannon waterway has become a hotbed for innovation in Ireland. Up to 40% of Irish energy needs are met here, on the shores of a waterway that is also home to Ireland's second largest airport, a 10,000 student university and a massive cargo port. Ireland - and the world - has learned from the estuary. The first duty free shop was opened here, along with the first industrial free zone. Over the years, thousands of business and political leaders from across the globe have come to Shannon to discover its secret - in the hope that they might copy it. Long before Ireland heard of green energy, this place was producing it. Listen in to dolphin conversations beneath the Shannon's waterline. Uncover the mystery of the Ark, the church on wheels built by a priest who prayed when the tide went out. Narrated by Brenda Fricker, the series aired on Friday nights at 7.30pm on RTÉ One from May 4th 2007. Find out more about the estuary here.

The Navy

Screened on RTE One in 2007.

60 years of the Irish Naval Service. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Irish Naval Service, this 3 x half-long feature documentary shows how the Service has evolved into a multi-tasking, multi-disciplinary force. Most Irish people rarely come into contact with the Naval Service, and so are unaware of the range of activities it undertakes. This documentary provides an ideal opportunity to reveal the full extent of the Service’s duties – and the commitment of those who serve on Ireland’s fleet.

The Regattas

Screened on RTE One, 2007 and Sky Sports in 2009.

Sailing featured in RTE’s Christmas schedules this year, with the broadcast of a half-hour documentary feature on the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2007. The production, entitled ‘The Regatta’, was shot over four days in Dublin Bay during this year’s regatta. Made by Baily Films, the company behind earlier critically-acclaimed water-based documentaries The Bay, The Harbour, The Estuary and The Navy, it features spectacular on-board footage from a range of craft competing in the event. The Regatta takes viewers both on board the competing craft, and behind the scenes, to examine the challenges thrown up by organising such a large-scale event on the bay. The Regatta was broadcast on RTE 1 on Saturday, December 22, at 4.20pm.

IN DEVELOPMENT

Afloat TV projects at an advanced stage of development include:

The Edge of Ireland

Ireland’s attitude to the seas that surround her is one of the most curious in the world. An island nation, with more coastline than most other European nations, most of her citizens look inland.

Yet no-one in Ireland lives further than 100 kilometres from the sea, and the majority of the population are housed within 10 kilometres of the coast.

More than any other European nation, our history is written on our shores. The very first settlers clung to it, fearing to explore inland. The shores fed and sustained them, and continued to sustain communities from Malin Head to Mizen Head for the next 9,000 years.

From the fort of Dun Aengus to the fields at Carnsore Point, from Inishvickillane to Bull Island, the coastline holds a key to our understanding of Ireland and ourselves.

The Edge of Ireland will uncover that hidden history of Ireland, and explore what the future holds for our coastline. Travelling around the coast, it will use local and national experts to relate individual accounts of how the sea has connected with the land to shape a local community or the nation at large.

The six half-hour series will be presented thematically, rather than using a linear journey up and down the coastline.

CONTACT

If you're keen on promoting Ireland's waterways and would like to get involved with Afloat TV please email us here.