Two Races Sailed as Light Winds Disrupt Irish Sailing Keelboat Champions Cup Qualifiers

11th October 2025

Afloat.ie Team

Light winds for the opening day of the Irish Sailing Keelboat Champions Cup in J80s on Dublin Bay Credit: Irish Sailing

Light winds cut short the opening day of the Irish Sailing Keelboat Champions Cup on Dublin Bay on Saturday (October 11th).

Only two races were completed in Qualifying Series A, with none sailed in Series B following the abandonment of a race due to a wind shifts.

Racing is taking place in J80 keelboats from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. The 25-minute races were held in Seapoint Bay, keeping the boats out of the worst of the tide in the light airs.

As Afloat reported, twelve skippers were invited to compete across flights on 11 and 12 October.

The schedule had aimed for up to three races per flight on Saturday. Race Officer Michael Tyreell intends to finish the qualification on Sunday, followed by a one-flight final of up to four races.

Forecasts show light and variable easterly winds again for Dun Laoghaire of five or six knots.

1720 European Champion Fionn Lyden of Baltimore Sailing Club leads Series A on three points. He scored 2 and 1 in the two races sailed.

World J24 Champion Cillian Dickson of Lough Ree Yacht Club is tied on points after finishing 1 and 2.

Puppeteer sailor David Johnston of Howth Yacht Club is third on eight points. Nicole Hemerick and Daniel Thompson of the National Yacht Club also sit on eight.

Ross McDonald of Howth Yacht Club is fifth on 10 points after a DNF and a third.

Emily Riordan of the Royal St George Yacht Club is sixth on 11 points.

An event spokesperson said the hope is to complete the qualifying flights on Sunday and move on to the final, weather permitting.

Race Results

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