Irish Sailing Announce Change in Format to Champions’ Cup for 2025

21st May 2025

Afloat.ie Team

A new Dinghy Champions Cup will be sailed on 4th / 5th October at Royal Cork Yacht Club in the National 18 dinghy Credit: Bob Bateman

The 2025 Irish Sailing Champions’ Cup will be run under a new format. The event will be split between Dinghy and Keelboat sailing for the first time.

It’s been 78 years since the Irish Sailing Champions’ Cup was inception, and its format has seen many changes over those decades. This 2025 event will mark yet another amendment to the format, which is being introduced following formal feedback from all relevant class associations in recent months.

While the current format has been very successful, many class associations felt that ‘splitting’ the event between Dinghy and Keelboat sailors would ultimately lead to a more balanced approach for all sailors invited to compete.

A Keelboat Champions Cup will be sailed on 11/12 October at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in J80s

The revised format will be reviewed to ensure it will operate as intended.

Tim Bourke, CEO of Irish Sailing, commented, ‘We are excited to introduce this change as it will have the dual effect of increasing the number of high-quality helms invited, while creating a more level playing field in terms of the required skills to compete in a dinghy or a keel boat’.
The schedule for the 2025 Champions Cup is as follows.

Dinghy Champions Cup

Date: 4th / 5th October
Location: Royal Cork Yacht Club (Cork Harbour)
Adult Dinghy to be Sailed: National 18
Number of Invitees: 12

Keelboat Champions Cup

Date: 11th /12th October
Location: Royal Irish Yacht Club (Dun Laoghaire)
Keelboat to be Sailed: J80
Number of Invitees:12

The Notice of Race for each event will be published over the coming weeks, and should you have any queries, please contact the Irish Sailing racing manager on [email protected]

Published in All Irelands

Tagged under

Champions’ Cup

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