Kinsale Yacht Club's Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin has won the 2026 Irish Sailing Keelboat Champions Cup at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, defeating defending champion Cillian Dickson by a single point in Sunday's (11 October) four-race final.
Representing the 1720 class, Ó Súilleabháin and his crew of Rory Carroll, Maeve Donagh, Harry Durcan and Charlie Moloney secured the title with two race victories and a final score of 11 points.
Dickson, representing Lough Ree Yacht Club, finished second on 12 points, while Royal St George Yacht Club's Michael O'Connor took third on 13 points.
Dublin Bay Battle: J/80 keelboats race past a windward mark in fresh conditions off Dún Laoghaire during the 2026 Irish Sailing Keelboat Champions Cup, with the Baily Lighthouse on Howth Head in the background. Photo: Afloat.ie
Two Race Wins Secure Kinsale Victory
The Kinsale crew recorded finishes of 1, 5, 1 and 4 in the championship final, with their second victory in race three proving particularly important in the closely fought contest.
Dickson remained consistent throughout, posting 3, 4, 2 and 3, but could not overhaul Ó Súilleabháin's narrow advantage.
O'Connor and fellow Royal St George sailor Tom Higgins finished level on 13 points, with O'Connor taking third on countback.
Greystones Yacht Club's Andy Verso, competing as a substitute for the ICRA representative, finished fifth on 14 points, while Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club's John Driscoll was sixth on 21.
Winning Smiles: Kinsale Yacht Club's Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and his crew celebrate aboard their J/80 after securing the 2026 Irish Sailing Keelboat Champions Cup by a single point on Dublin Bay.
From Repêchage to Championship Victory
The result represented a turnaround for Ó Súilleabháin, who had finished third in his qualifying fleet during Saturday's racing in strong, gusty north-westerly winds on Dublin Bay.
As Afloat reported after the opening day's competition, Driscoll and O'Connor were among the early leaders as the 12 competing teams battled for places in the final.
Ó Súilleabháin subsequently topped Sunday's two-race repêchage with first and second places, earning his place in the six-boat championship decider.
The Kinsale team then made the most of that opportunity, winning the opening race of the final and adding another victory in race three.
Kinsale's J/24 Youth Programme Bears Fruit
The championship victory is another success for Ó Súilleabháin and Carroll, whose keelboat racing background includes Kinsale Yacht Club's J/24 youth programme.
Both were members of the Kinsailor crew which finished third overall, second Corinthian and first in the Youth division at the 2022 J/24 European Championships in Howth.
Ó Súilleabháin helmed the boat, with Carroll among the crew, in a campaign supported by UK Sailmakers Ireland.
As Afloat reported at the time, the young Kinsale sailors had only begun racing the J/24 that summer before going on to secure a European podium finish.
Their latest achievement, four years later, adds the Irish Sailing Keelboat Champions Cup to their record.
The championship brought together representatives from Irish keelboat classes for two days of competition hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club.
The official championship results, declared on Sunday, confirm Kinsale's one-point victory.
