Dun Laoghaire Dingle Minis Put in Maxi Performance in First Hour of D2D Yacht Race

12th June 2019

The D2D start tonight at 6pm on Dublin Bay with Mick Cotter's 94-footer dominating the fleet. Scroll down for more D2D Race photos and vids Credit: Afloat

Day #1 (Start Time) 6 pm: The sky stayed grey, but the wind went away writes W M Nixon. There was almost a sense of anti-climax about the monochrome start to the 270-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race at 1800 hrs this afternoon, but the overall weather picture is so messy and unpredictable that it’s something of a relief the fleet got away at all in a northerly breeze much lighter than expected.

The view from the Committee Boat as shot by the NYC's John McNeilly is below.

and from the pin end....

and an onboard vid of hoisting the giant kite on Windfall from crew man Diarmaid Desmond

It took the little ’uns of the Mini 6.50 class to provide a spot of excitement. Dan Mill and Yannick Lemonnier in the mighty atom known as Port of Galway shot out of the pack like men possessed, zooming along at speeds better than 9 knots, and while their fellow mini-men in Louis Mulloy’s Blackshell Farm took a while to find their groove, they too were soon showing some much bigger boats around them that when it’s tricky downwind speed you seek, the Mini 6.50s have learned a thing or two over the years.

Mini port of Galway 1595 Yannick Lemonnier in the Mini 650 Port of Galway prepares the kite for a getaway start Photo: Afloat

Naturally the biggest boat in the fleet, Mick Cotter’s 94ft Windfall, was leading on the water virtually from the get-go, but it was only at modest speeds around the 12 knot mark, while astern of her Conor Doyle’s Freya was having her work cut out to put clear water between herself and the minis.

Windfall D2D Race start 1840 Mick Cotter's Windfall approaches The Muglins at the southern end of Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Freya D2D Race start 1978 Conor Doyle's X Yacht Freya from Kinsale Yacht Club departs Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Astern of her Andrew Hall’s J/125 was coming through the fleet like the proverbial hot knife in butter, and as they passed Bray Head with everyone engaged in their own manoeuvres of tacking to lee, Jackknife had only Windfall ahead of her, and was making better than 10 knots.

JackKnife D2D Race start 2487 Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife minutes into the 2019 D2D Race Photo: Afloat

But with a wind full of holes and sloppy weather patterns being driven by confused conditions being pushing in from the east, it remains to be seen if the late evening’s predicted firmer breeze from the north actually materializes. Meanwhile, when we look at the tiny Port of Galway’s position and speed relative to that of the massive Windfall, we can’t help but wonder if the sailing world as we know it has been turned upside down. As for late entry Jackknife, the Welsh wonder, we note that she is currently leading in every division for which she is eligible.

Indian D2D Race start 2556 Simon Knowles and Colm Buckley's J109 Indian in the Two-Handed division Photo: Afloat

Tribal D2D Race start 2590 Liam Burke's Two-handed Tribal from Galway Bay SC Photo Afloat

Raw D2D Race start 2693 Conor Fogerty's new Figaro 3 Raw Photo: Afloat

Sailing school D2D Race start 2709 The Irish Offshore Sailing Sailing school entry Photo: Afloat

Wakey D2D Race start 2770 Roger Smith's J109 Wakey Wakey from Poolbeg Y&BC is sailing Two Handed Photo: Afloat

Outrajeous D2D Race start 2786 Richard Colwell's J109 Outrajeous Photo: Afloat

Nieulargo D2D Race start 2942 Denis Murphy's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo from Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Afloat

Juggerknot D2D Race start 2416 Andrew Algeo's J99 Juggerknot II Photo: Afloat

Hot Cookie D2D Race start 2354 John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie from the host club Photo: Afloat

Rockabill D2D Race start 2219 Paul O'Higgins' JPK10.30 Rockabill II, the defending D2D Race champion Photo: Afloat

Aurelia D2D Race start 2132 Chris and Patanne Power Smith's J122 Aurelia Photo: Afloat

WOW D2D Race start 2087 George Sisk's XP44 WOW Photo: Afloat

Red alert D2D Race start 2985 Rupert Barry's JOD 35 Red Alert from Greystones Sailing Club Photo: Afloat
Classic Yawl Amokura 3057 Paul Moxon's Classic Yawl Amokura is competing in the Class: 2-handed class Photo: Afloat

Race Tracker below:

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 Dingle Race

About The Author

WM Nixon

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William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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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.