Just about every outdoor activity we formerly enjoyed without giving it some fancy title has been refreshed these days to provide an extra and mysterious aura of implied hazard. Thus those of us who might enjoy a plunge in a handy bit of facilities-free sea, lake or river now find we've been Wild Swimming all our lives.

And our personally long-known series of secret places of natural joy along the Western seaboard – known to us simply as "The West" - have been regimented into the Wild Atlantic Way, to be swarmed over by bus-disgorging box-ticking tourists who reckon it can all be fully experienced in a day or two.

RE-BRAND AS "WILD SAILING"

So it can only be a matter of time before offshore racing is re-branded as "Wild Sailing". Which indeed it can be at times, but such situations are supposedly dealt with successfully and quietly by competent crews and skippers, people who would regard "having an adventure" and its attendant publicity as evidence of gross incompetence.

The place that is "beyond what's beyond" – Dingle is Europe's most westerly marina

Be that as it may, every so often the pre-race list of runners and riders for a major offshore race raises the spirits of the old salts, who otherwise might fear their beloved sport – once upon a time a relatively private affair for close-knit groups of aficionados - is slipping in its quality even as more publicity is thrown at it.

SPIRIT-RAISING ENTRY LISTS

This spirit-raising is certainly the case with the way that next Wednesday's (June 11th) Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race from the National Yacht Club is shaping up to have a splendid fleet, a fine line-up which will be neatly augmented by several of the boats doing today (Saturday's) cross-channel Pwllheli-Dun Laoghaire Race.

This time-efficient level of fixture list structuring for minimum hassle of boat location logistics is reminiscent of the Golden Days of ISORA, and it is also significant that the 41-plus fleet racing to Dingle numbers several Kinsale stars, including Conor Doyle's Xp50 Freya, Finbarr O'Regan's J/109 Artful Dodger, and the dynmic duo of Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt two-handing in the successful Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl.

The two-handed Cinnamon Girl was second overall in 2023's Dingle Race

A SUPER RACE

The Kinsale crowd are all going mainly because it really is a super race, with a bit of everything and occasionally rather too much of some things that require only the briefest tasting. But their presence is also an acknowledgement that Dingle race organiser Adam Winkelmann has stayed with the traditional practice of timing it to enable the returning fleet to take in the Sovereign's at Kinsale from June 25th to 28th.

It ends well. Race Oraganiser Adam Winkelmann speaking at the end-of-race dinner in Dingle in 2023.

That in turn is timed to allow busy crews to keep themselves on the pay-roll in the real world while ensuring that the boat is in Dublin Bay for the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta from July 10th to 13th.

KINSALE-DUN LAOGHAIRE RACE?

So far any thoughts of a Kinsale to Dun Laoghaire Race to continue the sequence on, say, Friday, July 4th, have not been aired, but it's a thought. Certainly there must be many, slugging to windward when Cork-bound past tide-infested Carnsore Point, who will have wished they were racing t'other way, and this would provide the opportunity

But if so, as sure as God made little apples you'll find that the Carnsore area is providing its own extra-sharp wind-over-tide nor'easter, which made for highly entertaining pilotage back in the day when taking the smoother inshore route with a 47-footer drawing 8 feet.

Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox's J/122E Mojito from Pwllheli in North Wales Photo: Afloat

GRADUATES OF THE BARDSEY EXPERIENCE

Those who will have graduated to the Dingle Race from today's cross-channel sprint from Pwllheli will already have all their wind and tide senses sharpened by the business of getting past Bardsey. Or Bardsey Island, for those who don't accept that "ey" or "oy" or just plain "y" at the end of the name means it has already been clearly designated as an island of note by the Vikings, who have surely earned naming rights in these matters.

Leppin' for it. Paul O'Higgins' Rockabill VI (RIYC) jumps to it in ISORA's first race of the 2025 season. Photo: Afloat.ie

ISORA PWLLHELI-SOUTH INDIA-DUN LAOGHAIRE RACE

The presence of boats like Pata Negra and Mojito shows that Pwllheli is sending forth its finest, and the race's outcome will in turn influence the betting on the Dingle marathon, which really is a turnout of quality.

ENTRY LIST PWLLHELI-DUN LAOGHAIRE RACE

J/109 AN "OVERNIGHT SUCCESS AFTER 22 YEARS"

With nine boats of its marque making for Dingle, the J/109 is certainly living up to its reputation in Ireland of being our "overnight success after only 22 years". It was at the finish of the Lambay Race in 2003 that the Tyrrells of Arklow with their new J/109 Acquelina popped out into the open at the head of the fleet approaching the finish, and many of us were instantly smitten with the Irish debut of a boat that seemed to perfectly fit the place once filled by the Dublin Bay 24s.

Johnny and Susy Murphy's J/109 Outrajeous (Howth YC) ended the 2024 season as top boat. Photo: Afloat.ie

NEW BOATS ARE A RARITY

Yet by the time the class was really catching on here, production ceased in 2011, so a new-bought Irish J/109 is a rarity. In fact the Shanahan's Ruth of 2011 – winner of the 2015 D2D - may well be the only one. Yet here we are in 2025, already a quarter of the way into the 21st Century, and we're in an era when the Hall family's J/109 Something Else (not at present on the D2D list) has won the Scottish Series 2025 overall, the defending ICRA and IRC Euros champion Johnny and Suzy Murphy's J/109 Outrajeous of Howth is very much on to race to Dingle, and so too is Barry Cunningham's Chimaera (RIYC) winner of Class 1 at Volvo Cork Week 2024, making this Entry List even more interesting than usual: 

Barry Cunningham's Chimaera (RIYC) winner of Class 1 at Volvo Cork Week 2024 Photo: James Tomlinson

D2D 2025 Entries on Saturday, June 7th 2025

• Artful DodJer, Finbarr O'Regan Boat Model: J-109, Sail Number: IRL1713 Class: Racing IRC TCF: 1.001
• Aurelia Chris Power Smith J IRL 35950 IRC Racing 1.074
• Bjorn Rene Wubben Wasa 370 IRL 1768 IRC Racing 0.949
• Black Magic Barry O Donovan Beneteau First 44.7 GBR4947R IRC Racing 1.082
• Black Velvet Leslie Parnell Beneteau First 34.7 IRL 3471 IRC Racing 0.976
• Blue Oyster Noel Coleman Oyster 37 IRL3852 IRC Racing 0.928
• Chimaera Barry Cunningham J109 IRL2160 IRC Racing 1.006
• Cinnamon Girl - Eden Capital Cian McCarthy Sam Hunt Sunfast IRL 1627 IRC Double Handed 1.032
• Coquine Richie Fearon JPK 1030 GBR 1030X IRC Racing 1.022
• Desert Star Irish Offshore Sailing Ronan O'Siochru Jeanneau Sunfast 37 IRL 1397 IRC Double Handed 0.953
• Ealu Pat Collins Dehler 34 IRL 1680 IRC Racing 0.911
• Elixir Ryan Wilson Mat1010 IRL 4344 IRC Racing 1.025
• Freya Conor Doyle X-Yachts, Xp50 IRL 5077 IRC Racing 1.167
• Hijacker Grzegorz Kalinecki KER 32 GBR732R IRC Racing 1.029
• Indian Simon Knowles J109 IRL1543 IRC Racing 1.001
• Jalapeno Peter Donegan J 109 IRL5109 IRC Racing 1.008
• Jings Robin Young J109 GBR8543R IRC Racing 1.009
• Katanca Barry O'Connor Elan 31 IRL31310 IRC Double Handed 0.917
• La Veuve Noire Mark Wilson Nigel Moss Beneteau First 40 IRL 2240 IRC Racing 1.078
• Mach 2 Darragh McCarthy Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200 IRL13200 IRC Double Handed 1.003
• Marco Polo Stephen Berry Sunfast 3600 GBR7343R IRC Racing 1.039
• Mojito Peter Dunlop J/122E GBR4822R IRC Racing 1.087
• Mynx Kenneth Cunnane Swan 46 IRL8882 IRC Racing 1.06
• Nieulargo Denis & Annamarie Murphy Grand Soleil 40 B+C IRL 2129 IRC Racing 1.028
• No Xcuse Pat Hogan Dehler 30OD SWE041 IRC Racing 1.079
• Opal Frank Whelan Kneirim Elliott 57 GER6577 IRC Racing 1.414
• Outrajeous John Murphy J 109 IRL 19109 IRC Racing 1.003
• Pata Negra Andrew and Sam Hall Lombard 46 GBR 4669 IRC Racing 1.152
• Pillaban David Townend Archambault A35 IRL 5880 IRC Racing 1.02
• Prime Suspect Keith Miller Mills 36 custom IRL5991 IRC Racing 1.056
• Promise 3 Stephen Robinson Beneteau First 47.7 GBR7451R IRC Racing 1.078
• ReQuest Justin Burke JPK1030 53196 IRC Racing 1.03
• Riders On The Storm Robert Kerr J109 Irl 53222 IRC Racing 1.006
• Rockabill VI Paul O'Higgins JPK 10.80 IRL 10.80 IRC Racing 1.05
• Ruth Tom Shanahan J109 IRL1383 IRC Racing 1.007
• Springer Ian Bowring Sigma 33 OOD IRL 4464 IRC Racing 0.903
• State O'Chassis Kevin Buckley Sigma 38 IRL638 IRC Racing 0.974
• The Big Picture Michael Evans J112e IRL1840 IRC Racing 1.044
• Tighey Boy William O'Brien J/109 IRL23315 IRC Racing 1.002
• Tsunami Peter Ryan Beneteau First 40.7 IRL4007 IRC Racing 1.047
• ValenTina John Treanor J 112e IRL 3721 IRC Racing 1.05

The reality is that there may never have been an offshore race in Ireland - with so many competitive boats currently on top form - as there will be as they line up next Wednesday. Which makes prediction all that bit more a matter of Mystic Meg on steroids, whereas closely following the race with Mrs Yellowbrick is going to be a meaningful but round-the-clock affair.

Clipper Round the World skipper Richie Fearon is onboard the JPK 1030 Coquine in the 2025 Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Photo: Afloat

THE WEATHER

Well, maybe "meaningful" is not quite the word, as hopes of the unsettled weather of early June starting to behave itself may be over-optimistic. Ireland is plumb on target with our old frenemy, the North Atlantic Jetstream. If curmudgeonly old NAJ gets clear to the north or the south, there's a chance of improved weather. But of late he has been slobbering all over us, and you're doing well to find enough of a fairweather break to mow the lawn, let alone contemplate racing in steady style to Dingle.

Cork Week 2024 champion Johnny Treanor's  J 112e ValenTina is racing to Dingle Photo: Afloat

However, even as we write this, the overall meteorological situation seems to be softening, and some optimistic MetFolk think that by Wednesday it mightn't be too bad at all, which can bring the alternative curse of prolonged calm.

GENTLE VELVET NIGHTS? – NO WAY

Be warned, however, that the thought of gentle and brief velvet nights at sea in early June is an illusion. As the fleet found in 2023 when Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer (New York YC) won from Cian McCarthy's Sun Fast 3300 Cinnamon Girl, it can be astonishingly cold in the small hours. And it has been plenty rugged in races beyond that, when the winners have been the Royal Cork YC Admiral's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, and Paul O'Higgins' JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (Royal Irish YC).

Handsome is as handsome does – the Lombard 46 Pata Negra has her own special style

A PLACE APART

But when you get to Dingle, you find it's a place apart with a warm welcome provided by Billy Naughton, whose company has selling Volvos in the area since 1968 – which is well before 1984, when the still-missed dolphin Fungi became the local star - and the Dingle Hotel, where the prize-giving dinner next Saturday night (June 14th) is appropriately epic.

LAST OUTPOST OF HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

But then so it should be, as you're visiting an exotic foreign land. For it's often overlooked these days that back in 1529, the Treaty of Dingle, signed by the Earl of Desmond and the Emperor's envoy, made the area part of the Hapsburg Monarchy's Holy Roman Empire. It was never "unsigned". While the Empire may have already been fading away as it became neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire, Dingle is thriving as never before, the last outpost, so don't be surprised to find Hapsburg pennants fluttering in the Atlantic breeze.

A SLALOM ELEMENT IN THE COURSE

And finally, if the designation 'Wild Sailing' does catch up with the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, there's a final suggestion to make it live up to this title. A spot of slalom sailing is needed, We suggest amending the course to send them through Dursey Sound at the west end of the Beara Peninsula.

You have to believe there is a gap – the Howth 17 Deilginis emerges from the south end of Dursey Sound. Photo: Emma McDonald

As you've guessed, it's so named by the Vikings as it is the gateway island. You come in through it northbound, the land steepens to cliffs on either side, and then – emerging from it –suddenly there before you is the entire magnificent panorama of the coast of West Kerry, sweeping from the peaks of Carrantuohill to starboard all the way to the spiky Skelligs and distant Blaskets to port.

On the cruising experience scale, it's right up there with bringing your boat right up the Grand Canal into Venice with the dawn. That is truly sublime. Or it is until you find you're jammed up against the Rialto Bridge with no bow-thruster, and the waterway full of gondolas, vaporettos and whatever, all very busy and in a fierce hurry.