Howth Yacht Club is hosting the resurgent 1720s for the class’ first regional event of the 2023 season this Saturday and Sunday (29-30 April).

The 1720 Easterns will see a relatively small field of 13 boats competing, but they include past champions and promise to punch above their weight in terms of action on the water.

Valuable ranking points will be up for grabs towards the new Joe English Cup, donated by the English family, which will go the top performing boat at the end of the season.

Professional coach Mike Richards will also be on hand to provide coaching throughout the weekend — including nuggets of wisdom during racing itself. The debrief will be streamed live on the 1720 Facebook page.

The Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions are also available from the HYC website.

The 1720 sportsboat crew of Optique, skippered by Colin Byrne of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, were the overall winners of the 2023 AIB DBSC Spring Chicken Series at the National Yacht Club today.

A final light race decider on Dublin Bay saw Byrne come from ninth overall to win overall by a single point under modified ECHO.

As Afloat reported previously, in a competitive climax to the series, the top 14 boats in the 37-boat mixed cruiser-racer fleet were separated by just ten points.

Just Jasmin, Phil Smyth's Bavaria Match 35, was second on 57 points with race two winner, the First 31.7  Avalon third on 59.

Final race and overall results are downloadable below.

As most readers will know, the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School recently took the opportunity to change their existing keelboat fleet from the popular Irish 1720 design to the J80. There were many reasons for this shift, the primary being that the school could up its fleet from six to eight boats while keeping a one-design fleet. School principal Kenny Rumball, himself a competitive 1720 sailor, is keen to see the six boats back on the 1720 circuit after the significant resurgence in the fleet over the last number of years.

The six boats are all well-known boats from the 1720 heydays and the fleet includes Lemon, TewFrydEgz, Oi!, Ranelagh Consultants, Business Gold & Key Events. All of these boats were top performers before the unfortunate demise of the class in the mid-2000s.

The six boats are all well-known boats from the 1720 heydays

Since the boats entered service with the school, they have been kept in top condition and only require new forestays to be class legal. The only modifications made to the boats for work in a teaching environment were adding a roller furling head sail and a mainsail that had a reduced roach and slab reefing points.

Each boat went through two mini-refits annually with a dedicated maintenance team replacing any damaged items, usually within a 12-hour period. Most replacement parts were like for like Harken items or better.

The fleet did rest on moorings and as such all the boats are antifouled. Prior to the pandemic, all previous antifoulings were removed, and the boats were professionally brought back to gelcoat before being treated to the full Nautix hard matrix antifoul treatment of high build primer, then sanded back before A4 TSpeed was applied in two diluted layers. As experienced racers will know, this hard matrix antifoul can be wet sanded back to a mirror finish. Therefore, each boat can be competitive instantly with a bit of elbow grease.

Masts are a mixture of generation 1 and generation 2 Selden rigs on the six 1720s now for sale at the INSS

Masts are a mixture of generation 1 and generation 2 Selden rigs, all of which sport recent spreaders, running and standing rigging, all of which is less than five years old and class legal. Each boat rests on its own road trailer; however, as these trailers were primarily used for winter storage and did not travel, each trailer would require new tyres & brakes to make it road legal.

The INSS school are motivated to sell these six 1720s ahead of the season

Unfortunately, full suits of racing sails are not being sold with the boat as the old sails that came with the boats were recycled into bags and other items. However, many members of the 1720 class have full suits of sails that are available for purchase second-hand; however, each boat will be sold with a factional and masthead spinnaker.

The school are motivated to sell these boats ahead of the season. Prices are realistic and boat dependent with prices varying from €6k-€10k. Serious enquiries are only to be made directly with Kenneth Rumball [email protected]

The 1720 sportsboat Class has updated its 2023 calendar with a missing Dublin fixture now pencilled in for April.

As regular Afloat readers will know, the class confirmed three events for 2023, all on the south coast, but the sportsboat class spokesman, Julian Hughes, also told Afloat back in November there is a 'possible further event in August in Dublin on the cards also'.

This week the class announced an Eastern Championships that will sail from Howth Yacht Club, not in August but instead the first event of the year on April 29th and 30th. 

Hughes told Afloat: "the additional event was added to the calendar after positive feedback from the fleet looking for more events and a Dublin event to support the resurgence there".

The 1994-founded Irish designed class will stage their European Championships as part of the Sovereigns Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club from 21-24th June, building towards a 'big end-of-season event' in Dunmore East, the Irish Nationals at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club from 21st-23rd September. This venue hosted a cut-short Euros in 2021.  

The full 1720 2023 calendar is now: 

• 29 -30th April - Eastern Championships at Howth Yacht Club
• 27-28 May - Open event at Monkstown Bay Sailing Club
• 21-24th June - European Championships /Sovereigns Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club
• 21st-23rd September - Irish Nationals at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club 

The relatively new venue for the fleet of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club will host the first event of three confirmed fixtures for the 1720s in 2023, the recent well-attended AGM has heard.

The resurgent 1720s celebrated their 30th anniversary at Cork Week in July with a 42-boat fleet that was a centrepiece of Royal Cork's 300th celebrations.

The three confirmed events for 2023 are all on the south coast, but the sportsboat class spokesman, Julian Hughes, told Afloat there is a 'possible further event in August in Dublin on the cards also'.

As regular Afloat readers will know, Monkstown Bay previously co-hosted the Munster Championships in 2020 in conjunction with RCYC but is the only Cork Harbour host club next May.

The 1720 class is riding high after its 42-boat turnout at Cork Week 2022 Photo: Rick Tomlinson

The 1994-founded Irish designed class will stage their European Championships as part of the Sovereigns Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club from 21-24th June, building towards a 'big end-of-season event' in Dunmore East, the Irish Nationals at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club from 21st-23rd September. This venue hosted a cut-short Euros in 2021. 

'The fleet is pumped for the season ahead', Hughes told Afloat.

1720 Irish Sportsboat 2023 Calendar

• 27-28 May - Open event at Monkstown Bay Sailing Club
• 21-24th June - European Championships /Sovereigns Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club
• 21st-23rd September - Irish Nationals at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club 

1720 Irish Sportsboat 2023 Calendar

The march of the revived 1720 Sportsboats goes on despite their design origins at least thirty years ago. But even with all the fresh talent in the class, it was as if you were in the weekend's Championship at Baltimore, with the Crosshaven-Howth squad of Aoife English and brother
Rob, together with husband/brother-in-law Ross McDonald in Atara, winning overall as smoothly as they did in the super-championship at Cork Week in July.

They would have started as favourites. So just to lull the opposition into a deluded sense of new possibilities, Atara threw a 16th in the first race while the bullet was taken by local boat MO (Rory and Aidan Lynch). But thereafter, Atara showed her true colours and got all the
guns blazing to knock up a steady and sometimes sparkling scoreline which gave them the title by 18pts to the 22 of Royal Cork's Dave Kenefick in Full Irish.

Dave Kenefick's Full Irish crew finished second overall

Julian Hughes from Dunmore East racing Root 1 (we're told he's big in carrots, no comment) cooked it up nicely to place third overall and help give a healthy spread to the top places.

Julian Hughes's Root 1 crew finished third overall

Results are below

UK Sailmakers Ireland celebrates One Design sailing success this season with a stunning 1,2,3 at the 1720 European Championships at Cork Week in July.

The loft is also celebrating title wins in July's Ruffian National Championships and August's Beneteau 31.7s National Championships, both held on Dublin Bay. 

1720 

Congratulations to Ross McDonald, David Kenefick and Robert Dix, who all sailed with complete sets of UK sails to fill the podium at the 1720 European Championships.

Robert Dix's 1720 Photo: Deirdre Horgan

These boats all have the McWilliam Superkote 75 Asymmetric, which are proven race winners.

They also have our upgraded XD07BP X Drive Carbon racing upwind sails, including main and headsail upgrades.

Ruffian 23 

With two national championship wins in a row for Ann Kirwan and Brian Cullen in Bandit on Dublin Bay, the change in racing Dacron to 280AP HTP Dacron material is proving unstoppable.

Ann Kirwan and Brian Cullen's Ruffian 23 Bandit Photo: Afloat

Our racing-winning designs, which I developed in Hong Kong over 14 years of Ruffian sailing, have been given further tweaks for Irish waters.

First 31.7s 

Chris Johnson's XD sails won the day for his First 31.7 Prospect crew at last weekend's 2022 National Championships on Dublin Bay.

Chris Johnston's First 31.7 Prospect Photo: Afloat

The latest designs in XD 07BP XD Carbon also gave Nick Holman's First 31.7 a massive boost to take him to second place overall.

Busy Loft

Fairing Asymmetric kite seams at the busy UK Sailmakers Ireland loft this summer

We were busy building sails all summer. We built eight 1720 spinnakers in time for Cork Week, Dublin Bay Mermaid Sails, Howth 17 sails, and lots more, all in time for each national championship.

As sailmakers, we do not just design sails for boats. We design and build sails for your boat. Our extensive and versatile product line allows us to produce sails to suit your requirements and expectations. Call us for a quote.

The new loft Sheltie puppy, Bert, keeps an eye on spinnaker production

Read more about UK Sailmakers Ireland on their new website here

Volvo Cork Week 2022 was July’s regatta highlight, and with the Royal Cork YC’s Tricentenary cancelled in 2020, the Tri-Centenary +Two had much to celebrate, not least the remarkable revival of the 30-year-old 1720 Sportsboat Class, which in 2022 is ably led by David Love. With the largest fleet at Cork, the 1720s deservedly became the focus of much attention, and the combined Royal Cork YC (Aoife and brother Robbie English) and Howth YC (Ross McDonald) team with Rope Dock Atara gave a masterful display of series control to win the 1720s, and then also take the cherished silver trophy for “Boat of the Regatta”, the affectionately-named Kinsale Kettle which dates back to 1859.

43 1720 Sportsboats raced at the biggest meeting for the one-design class for many years at Cork Week. The racing was as intense as the partying at the RCYC Clubhouse. Veteran 1720 sailors joined forces with younger crews for close racing for five days to decide the 2022 1720 European Champion.

Rope Dock Atara won the 1720 European Championship for the third time in a row with the same team on board: Ross McDonald, Killian Collins, Aoife English, Robbie English, Paddy Good. Atara was also awarded the Kinsale Kettle as overall winner of Volvo Cork Week.

1720 European Champions and overall Cork Week winners Rope Dock Atara Photo Rick Tomlinson

The 1720 Class competing for the European Championship had a real blast Photo: Rick Tomlinson

“What a crew – the magic flows between us!” commented Ross McDonald. “There is a really good rhythm on board, which is very important. This fleet had some really good teams racing but we managed to hold it together.

Royal Cork’s Dave Kenefick racing Full Irish finished the regatta with a race win to secure second place for the championship. Robert Dix Elder Lemon from Baltimore SC was the top boat on the last day, scoring a 1-3 to make the European Championship podium.

1720 Zing Photo Rick Tomlinson

A big thank you to the race committee for organising great racing and also to April English, the team’s mum, for child care and a whole lot more. Let’s hope the 1720 Class springboard from this, it would be great to race in big fleets on a regular basis.”

Robert Dix's Elder Lemon from Baltimore SC Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Rope Dock Atara, with Ross McDonald on the helm representing Royal Cork YC & Howth YC, scored a 4-1-1 today (Thursday) to all but secure the 1720 European Championship title at Cork Week. 

After three days of light and complex racing, a sea breeze kicked in on day four to spice up the action on the penultimate day.

The 1720 Class competing for the European Championship had a real blast Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Dave Kenefick's Royal Cork Full Irish had a cracking day, scoring a 5-4-2 to fly up the leaderboard into second place.

Aidan Lynch's MO from the Baltimore SC scored a bullet in Race 6 and finished the day in third, but only on countback from Kenny Rumball's The Conor Wouldn't from the Royal Irish YC.

Padraig Byrne & Donny Wilson's Zing from the Royal Cork drop to fifth after an 11th place in the final race.

Fionn Lyden's Spiced Beef Photo Rick Tomlinson

Robert Dix's Elder Lemon from Baltimore SC came into contention for the podium, but a 25th in the final race pegged the team back to sixth.

Anything can happen on tomorrow's final day, but the six boats at the top of the leaderboard will likely decide the 1720 European Championship podium.

Several protests are still to be heard on Day four, so the results are provisional.