We concluded yesterday’s racing IRC3 racing at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta with Rory Fekkes’ turbo-powered First 8 F’n Gr8 from Carrickfergus in the overall lead, but things today weren’t so clearcut today among the Quarter Tonners and their assorted sparring partners.

For although F’n Gr8 still leads with 13 points to the 24 of Ken Lawless’s Cartoon (RIYC), the discarding of a 7^th and an 18^th by the front runner tells its own story.

F’n Gr8 still leads with 13 points

Cartoon is in second overall

Third is Brendan Foley's Impala Running Wild and Ger O’Sullivan of Howth with the Formula 28 Animal is fourth, but the real star of today’s racing is Flor O’Driscoll of Bray SC, with a couple of firsts in his J/24 Hard on Port moving him up to fifth overall.

Brendan Foley’s Running Wild is third

Ger O’Sullivan's Formula 28, Animal is fourth

Paul Colton's Cri Cri from the Royal Irish

If sailing is a waterborne game of chess, then Nigel Biggs’ Half Tonner Checkmate XVIII is fulfilling the promise of her name with the bullet today in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta to have her on 6 points after discarding a 4th, making the Mancunian - who lists his clubs as RIYC and Howth -clear ahead by ten points of Royal Cork’s Ronan and John Downing with Miss Whiplash, while Dave Cullen (HYC) has moved into third overall after finishing with a second today on Checkmate XV.

Royal Cork's Miss Whiplash (Ronan Downing) is second

Tricky spinnaker work in relatively big seas and a tightly bunched fleet off the Muglins Rock on Dublin Bay

Royal Cork's Antix Beag (Anthony O'Leary)

Dave Cullen (HYC) has moved into third overall after finishing with a second today on Checkmate XV

IRC 0 Eleuthera is bringing it home for Greystones In celebration of the successful progress through this Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta and others of Frank Whelan’s very fine Grand Soleil 44 Eleuthera, maybe they should re-name his home port Brightstones for the style that’s in it, as it tells us much that his third place in Race 4 is now his discard, and Eleuthera is sitting on just 5 points to the 9 of Jay Colville’s First 40 Forty Licks from Strangford Lough and the 11 of Scots visitor Jonathan Anderson with his J/122 El Gran Senor.

Jump, Eletheura and Forty Licks negotiate The Muglins Rock

It seems that a certain familiarity with the East Coast of Ireland stood well for the leaders – distinguished visitors from Cork and northwest England weren’t on the pace today.

Jay Colwell's First 40, Forty Licks

Jonathan Anderson's J/122 El Gran Senor

Jamie McWilliam's Signal 8, a Ker 40

Conor Phelan's Ker 37, Jump Juice

Only three points after eight races separate two British Olympic medalists in the RS Elite UK National Championships being held as part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

1988 Seoul Gold Medalist Mike McIntyre from the Star Class leads Ossie Stewart (Bronze medalist in Barcelona in the Soling) at the top of the leaderboard.

Both British legends are from the UK south coast at Hayling Island Sailing Club. Indeed, the top seven places in the 31-boat keelboat fleet are all taken by Hayling Island Sailing Club.

The first Irish crew, Stephen Polly, John Gunning and David Kelso, from Royal Ulster Yacht Club, sailing Storm, are eighth overall.

Final races are tomorrow.

The clear record of Seamus Fitzpatrick’s First 50 Mermaid IV (RIYC) in the coastal racing of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta slipped today, taking quite a knock with an 11th while the Pwllheli J/109 (Peter Dunlop) was on top form to take the win, with second going to the J/97 Windjammer (Lindsay Casey & Denis Power, RStGYC), while Nigel Ingrams’ J/109 Jet Stream from Holyhead was third in a developing coastal wind pattern which suited the smaller boats. Mojito is now leading overall across the board with 7 points to the 13 of Mermaid IV and Jet Stream, fourth overall being held by the veteran Mills 30CR Raptor, where the owning RIYC syndicate is listed today as headed by Fintan Cairns – now there’s democracy in action for you, and no mistake.

Second overall - First 50, Mermaid (Seamus Fitzpatrick)

Third overall - J109, Jet Stream (Nigel Ingram)

Fourth overall - Mills 30CR, Raptor (Fintan Cairns)

Fifth overall - J97, Windjammer (Lindsay J Casey & Denis Power)

Sixth Overall - XP44, WOW (George Sisk)

Seventh overall, JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins)

Eighth overall - J109, Jaydreamer (Paul Sutton)

Ninth overall - J125, Jackknife (Andrew Hall)

Tenth overall - Farr 40 Expresso Martini, Glyn Sheffield

Trading a few years of experience on your rivals isn’t a major problem when you’re on a run of form like George Kingston.

The Royal St George sailor gave a masterclass in race management and consistency last weekend when he strolled to the Laser Leinster title in the waters off Rush.

And the return to Dublin Bay clearly hasn’t broken his stride - finishing Day 2 of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta with three bullets out of three in the standard rig class.

Clubmate Ross O’Leary and Royal Irish’s Justin Maguire - both of whom were gearing up for a home challenge in the Master Worlds this time last year -  were left swapping second and third spots.

Justin Maguire of the Royal Irish Yacht Club

Meanwhile in the Radial fleet, Marco Sorgassi tops a runners and riders list that he didn’t even appear on when it went to press, scoring a brace of race wins and a second place.

Rush’s Tom Fox - the only non-Royal St George-affiliated entry in the 10-strong fleet - lies second, with a comfortable five-point gap over next placed Sean Flanagan.

Former Olympic champion Mike McIntyre showed why he is favourite to retain his current crown this week as he got his defence of the RS Elite UK National title off to a flying start on Dublin Bay.

The three-hander class, a throwback to the classic designs of the XOD and Swallow, has adopted the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta as championships host with real zeal.

At 31 entries, it is the biggest one-design fleet at the event, toppling this year’s 23 Flying Fifteens from their usual dominant position.

And there’s no shortage of quality among the quantity, either.

Ossie Stewart won bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games, crewing with Lawrie Smith in the Soling, while Simon Brien, from Cultra on Belfast Lough, is a former holder of the Dragon Edinburgh Cup.

But it was McIntyre – a Star class Gold medallist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics – who laid down the early marker, claiming victory in the first race ahead of Hayling Island clubmate, and current International 14 World Champion, Andy Partington.

He finished the day at the top of the leaderboard, although a second race bullet for Strangford Lough’s Brian Corry, one of a large Northern Ireland contingent in the fleet, promises plenty of cut and thrust in store for the days ahead.

Paul Smith and Pat Mangan sailing 'Jill' from the Royal Irish Yacht Club lead the 15-boat Dublin Bay Mermaid clinker class after two races of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta that incorporates the Clinker class Leinster Championships. 

The RIYC duo lead former multi-class champion Roger Bannon from the National Yacht Club sailing Endeavour. 

Third is Francis Browne's Cara 2 from Skerries Sailing Club.

In a busy month for the traditional class, Skerries Regatta 2019 is next weekend 20th & 21st July. The National Championships are being staged at Royal Cork Yacht Club from 1st – 4th August.

Zest Anna Lowes from Foynes Yacht Club (100) to weather of clubmate Vincent Mc Cormack in Three Chevrons

Dermot O’Flynn’s 'Colleen Deas' finds some sparkling sailing with the Classics while the early breeze lasted in the first race of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta today.

With three Colleen replicas sailing this afternoon, it was reckoned to be the first time in 114 years that the J E Doyle-designed Colleen ODs had raced as a class in Dublin Bay. 

The Colleen is a one-design wooden sailing boat originally designed for sailing on the Bay.

The Colleen is a half decked gaff-rigged centreboard day boat with the centreboard case fixed externally under the boat. Photo: Afloat

The class was intended to fit into the Dublin Bay Sailing Club's grouping of classes, as Class 'B'. This was a replacement of the half and one raters. It was felt that a One-Design would ensure that boats did not become outdated within a short number of years.

It was designed for the Dublin Bay Sailing Club in 1896 by James E. Doyle, one of Kingstown's leading yacht designers and builders.

The class stopped sailing in Dublin Bay in the early 1900s. After class racing finished in Dublin Bay many of the boats were shipped out to Argentina where the class thrived into the 1960s.

'Forty-foot' can mean different things to different people on Dublin Bay. In sailing terms, it might very well be a nick-name for 'Class Zero' but for most of the Capital's citizens, it's the stronghold for sea bathers on the southern tip of the Bay. 

And today, Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's Class Zero got more than it bargained for when the six big boats gybed in towards the Scotsman's Bay shoreline during aborted race one.

While everyone else in this particular spot is content with the front crawl, fleet leaders Signal 8 (Jamie McWilliam) and Eleuthera (Frank Whelan) were gybing with the Dublin Bay sea-swimmers.