Volvo Car Ireland has again stepped up to support the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in June. This will be the 30th anniversary of the race which has become a biennial fixture in the Irish sailing calendar.
As Afloat reported earlier, Denis and Annamarie Murphy's successful Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo from Royal Cork Yacht Club will defend its race title with up to 50 yachts competing.
The race starts from Dun Laoghaire on June 7th and is scheduled to arrive in Dingle Harbour on June 9th and 10th.
Volvo Car Ireland is supported by the Tralee-based dealer Billy Naughton Motors, representing Volvo Cars in the Kerry region. The race also continues a long association with the local Dingle Skellig Hotel, where the prizegiving will take place on Saturday, June 10th.
As regular Afloat readers will recall, after an epic 14th edition of the 'D2D' that attracted a 38-boat fleet, the Murphy's lifted the trophy in Dingle, County Kerry.
The 2021 race was one of great success for Cork offshore sailing interests, and now, with the confirmation of Nieulargos' entry, SCORA's interest in the 270-miler shows no sign of letting up.
Competing yachts will vary between 30 and 100 feet in length, with crews of between 2 and 20 sailors on board.
The first D2D race took place in 1993 and the race has grown to become one of the great mini offshore sailing challenges in the UK and Irish waters. Underlining this growth in status is the fact that the D2D race now forms part of both the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Associations 2023 series.
The race will test crews’ skills in terms of fast sailing, accurate navigation and tactics and great teamwork. Crews include top male and female sailors, and there is a separate prize to encourage this growth of women in the race. “Volvo Car Ireland are proud to support activities that align with our brand pillars. Sustainability and electrification are a key focus for our business, and our oceans' long-term health is a core part of this. We wish all participating sailors safe sailing and encourage all supporters to visit Dingle and enjoy the great atmosphere surrounding the finish in the town.” David Thomas, Managing Director, Volvo Car Ireland.
The National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire are the race organiser and provides 'world-class' starting and finishing teams for race management. The yachts can be tracked live online using the YB Tracking system, which can be found through www.d2drace.ie or through www.afloat.ie from the start on Wednesday, June 7th.
The Notice of Race is here and the entry form is now available here