The countdown is on for the Irish Sea Nations Cup 2025, the new sailing competition that promotes regional engagement.
Organised by the founders of prominent events like the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, the IRC Welsh Championships and the Scottish Series, this cup aims to foster participation across the Irish Sea.
Scheduled for May and July, the Nations Cup will coincide with several major regattas. The IRC Welsh Championships takes place from 2nd to 4th May in Pwllheli, Wales, followed by the Scottish Series in Tarbert, Scotland from 23rd to 26th May. The spotlight then shifts to the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta in Ireland from 10th to 13th July before concluding with the IRC Northern Ireland Championships in Bangor on 19th and 20th July.
Entrants representing Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, and the Isle of Man are set to compete.
Each competing keelboat will highlight their nation based on their home port, with individual participants encouraged to join all four regattas; more details on how the Irish Sea Nations Cup 2025 work is here
The scoring system will take into account results from each event, ranking nations based on their best-performing boats and the number of visiting vessels. A visitor bonus will further enhance competitiveness.
The grand prize, the prestigious Irish Sea Nations Cup, will be awarded at the IRC Northern Ireland Championship prizegiving in late July.
For more information, download the draft notice of race below
