The favourable south-going ebb tide tomorrow (Wednesday) will already be half gone by the time the National YC's biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race gets started at 14:00hrs, and even the fastest biggies will have to contend with the new flood making north from 17:00hrs.

41 skippers and their crews gathered in the National Yacht Club for the eve of racing briefing for the 17th Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Photo: Michael Chester

They'll be weaving their way southward in a changing wind to less tidally-dominated sailing water southwest of Ireland's southeast corner as marked by the Tuskar Rock, 70 sandbank-strewn sea miles from Dublin Bay.

Although southeast to south breezes are expected as the highly competitive fleet makes its way along the south coast, with mega-bubbles of warm air heading Ireland's way from Africa, the clash with colder breezes trying to get in from the southwest may well cause oppressive fog and a thunderstorm or three.

If a wide transom provides fast reaching power, then the Lombard 46 Pata Negra from Pwllheli has the options well covered with co-skippers Andrew and son Sam Hall pictured below Photo; Michael Chester

SPEED FROM SIZE

Nevertheless the speed provided by sheer size will surely mean that Frank Whelan's Elliott 57 Opal from Greystones – with the formidable talents of Mark Mansfield and Marty O'Leary on the strength – will get first to better wind and sailing conditions, and the race-winning benefits they provide.

But sheer size can be out-gunned by highly efficient crews or special (as in peculiar) boat shapes. Thus, some smart money is on the Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra from Pwllheli, as her wide stern conveys impressive power on a fast reach.

But then our featuring of Chris Power Smith's J/122 Aurelia as the header pic star in the weekend's Sailing on Saturday proved remarkably prescient, for even as it was being admired at breakfast tables throughout the land, the Aurelia team were already working their way to the overall win in the Pwllheli-Dun Laoghaire Race.

"The gang's all here" – Conor Doyle's Xp50 needs the numbers to give of her best

With the most size possible seemingly a good option, we cannot discount Conor Doyle's handsome Xp50 Freya from Kinsale. But then their clubmates Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt in the Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl have a boat which persistently punches way above her weight, particularly on a reach, so Kinsale seems to have the size conundrum well covered.

NINE RED-HOT J/109s

That said, there's no ignoring the fact that there are nine red-hot J/109s racing to Dingle, including the 2024 class champion, Johnny and Susie Murphy's Outrajeous from Howth. Does nine boats mean something special in spread-betting? Or are we just hoping that a class that has been very good for Irish sailing gets its place in the sun that is heading Dingle way for the prize-giving Bacchanalia in the Dingle Skellig Hotel on Saturday night.

The best for the west? The champion J/109 Outrajeous from Howth.

Volvo D2D 2025 team (from left to right): Susan Spain, NYC Sailing Sec; Rosemary Cadogan, Vice Commodore; Peter Sherry, Commodore;  Adam Winkleman, D2D Race Director;  Alan Cowley, Volvo Cars Ireland  and Race Officer Con Murphy at the eve of race Skippers Briefing Photo: Michael Chester

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