D2D Update – 5pm Sunday: Waiting Game at Dingle for LOP & Antix

14th June 2015

#d2drace – It may sound like the title of a lost play by Sam Beckett, but that's the way it is as the first finishers in the 280 mile race from Dun Laoghaire got into a very summery Dingle in time for a late lunch. The Cookson Lee Overlay Partners (Adrian Lee, Royal St George YC) took line honours at 1357 hrs, while the Ker 40 Antix (Anthony O'Leary, Royal Cork YC & Baltimore SC) was across 24 minutes later, with current positions of the rest of the fleet at sea putting Antix at 14th overall on IRC, but Lee Overlay is 29th in a fleet of thirty.

The only other boats past Skellig Michael at the moment are the J/122 Aurelia (Chris & Patanne Power Smith, RStGYC) and the Farr 42 WOW (George Sisk, Royal Irish YC), with James & Sheila Tyrrell's J/122 Aquelina (Arklow SC) making the turn at the big rock at 1540hrs. The two boats ahead are enjoying a summery nor'wester with 13 miles to go, closing in past Valentia Island's rugged Atlantic coast coast racing neck and neck, with Aurelia (currently showing at seventh overall in IRC) down as doing 7.5 knots, while the larger WOW (placed 20th in IRC) is indicated at 8.0knots, but they seem to have been glued together since putting the Skellig astern, and WOW is shaping up to be rather nearer the cliffs of Valentia than old D2D hands would recommend, the backwash and wind-shadow are notorious.

It's just round the Skellig that we find a likely winner, the Shanahan family's J/109 Ruth (National YC), which has finally shaken off sister-ship Mojito (Peter Dunlop & Vicky Cox, Pwllheli SC) by a couple of miles after a duel which has been going on for most of the race, and they're now onto port tack, heading for Dingle and shown as topping the leaderboard, with second place currently held by defending champion Amazing Grace (Brian O'Sullivan & Frances Clifford, Tralee Bay SC), which at the moment is plugging to windward well down the line, as she still has to to get past Dursey Island.

'We just missed getting around Fastnet before the wind dropped by about 20 minutes, instead it took three hours! Taking a chance now and heading out west for a while, in the hands of the Gods! Crew in great spirits in spite of missing the opportunity! Not over 'til the fat lady sings; and hopefully that is not Lady Rowena!' Brian O'Sullivan told Afloat.ie

It's still very much a race for the smaller or lower-rated boats, as currently 3rd overall is the veteran Sadler 34 Lady Rowena (David Bolger, RStGYC), which like Amazing Grace is entered as a cruiser, but she has certainly given a very good account of herself, and is currently turning to windward off Dunmanus Bay beside the Dehler 34 Big Deal with the father and son crew of Derek and Conor Dillon of Foynes YC, who have been making up lost ground in the second half of the race, and they are now leading the two-handed division as longtime leader Blue Eyes (Colm Buckley & Simon Knowles, Howth YC) got stuck in the mouth of Bantry bay, but is now back in business approaching the west end of Dursey Island, albeit only at 4.9 knots, but this is enough to have them second in the two-handed, and tenth overall, while the gallant Foynes duo in Big Deal are 8th overall, which is going some for a two-hander.

Everything is looking good for Ruth as the soldier's breeze is likely to hold up for long enugh to get them into port and in the money, but remembering how they were pipped by just six minutes for last year's Round Ireland race, they're counting no chickens at all until the race is well finished.

Published in Dun Laoghaire Dingle

Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Live Tracker 2023

Track the progress of the 2023 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race fleet on the live tracker above and the leaderboard below

Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Live Leaderboard 2023

The 16th edition of the 280-mile race organised by the National Yacht Club starts at 2 pm on Wednesday, June 7th, on Dublin Bay.

Read the full 2023 race preview by WM Nixon here
Read all the D2D Race News in one handy link here
Listen to Lorna Siggins's interview with Race Chairman Adam Winkelmann on Afloat's Wavelengths here

WM Nixon will be posting regular race updates and analysis throughout the 2023 race here

Published in Dun Laoghaire Dingle

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Dun Laoghaire to Dingle

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Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race Information

The biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race is a 320-miles race down to the east coast of Ireland, across the south coast and into Dingle harbour in County Kerry.

The race is organised by the National Yacht Club.

It never fails to offer a full range of weather, wind and tide to the intrepid entrants, ranging from a 32ft cruiser to a 79ft all-out racer.

Three divisions are available to enter: cruiser (boats equipped with furlers), racing (the bulk of the fleet) and also two-handed.

D2D Course change overruled

In 2019, the organisers considered changing the course to allow boats to select routes close to shore by removing the requirement to go outside Islands and Lighthouses en route, but following input from regular participants, the National Yacht Club decided to stick with the tried and tested course route in order to be fair to large and smaller boats and to keep race records intact.

D2D Course record time

Mick Cotter’s 78ft Whisper established the 1 day and 48 minutes course record for the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in 2009 and that time stood until 2019 when Cotter returned to beat his own record but only just, the Dun Laoghaire helmsman crossing the line in Kerry to shave just 20 seconds off his 2009 time.