It may look like only half the size of the other IRC classes at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, but an 11-boat IRC Zero fleet is every bit as competitive as the other four and double the size of the 2019 entry.
And to add extra spice to an impressive line-up, this IRC Zero division – where five of the fleet will be visitors to Dublin Bay – has attracted a clear favourite for overall honours, the Royal Irish Yacht Club's Rockabill VI.
Rockabill, with an IRC rating of 1.054, comes into Zero with regular tactician Mark Pettit and Kieran Tarbert driving a well-proven JPK 10.80 for the forecasted breeze.
Having won last Saturday's Lyver Race, Paul O'Higgins's offshore supremos have elected to sail windward-leeward courses this week instead of sailing in their usual hunting ground of coastal racing. It means, as leaders, they take no further part in the five-race Royal Dee championships being sailed as part of VDLR.
The attraction, in part, must be new competition in the shape of an optimised Beneteau First 40.7 from Northern Ireland, a Sunfast 3600, a J112e and a visiting J122 from Scotland.
New to Dublin Bay, J112e, Johnny Treanor's Valentina" from the National Yacht Club has already notched up some early success in 2023. As regular Afloat readers know, Treanor scored a debut win in Key Yachting's J Cup at Hamble in the UK and a second at last month's Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale. Dragon ace Adam Winkelmann is on tactics.
Johnny Treanor's new J112e Valentina competing at the Sovereign's Cup Photo: Bob Bateman
Game Changer from Northern Ireland is an optimised Beneteau First 40.7, ex "Philosophie", with former Laser ace John Simms driving. The Belfast Lough boat has a non-overlapping jib configuration, resulting in a low rating of 1.042. That's very low for a 40-footer, and if windy, as per the forecast, she could be a force to be reckoned with.
Shaun Douglas's First 40.7 Game Changer from Belfast Lough Photo: Afloat
The National Yacht Club's Pete Smyth, on the Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 "Searcher", recently won her class and finished third overall in the Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race. The distinctive black boat rates lower than Rockabill VI at 1.044 and carries a new symmetric spinnaker configuration. As with the D2D, Pete will be sailing shoulder to shoulder with his brother Nick as a tactician.
Pete Smyth's Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 Searcher Photo: Afloat
Jonathan Anderson's Irish J122 campaign from the Clyde continues in Dun Laoghaire this week.
Jonathan Anderson's J122 from the Clyde Photo: Bob Bateman
The one-time leader of last month's Sovereign's Cup, "El Gran Senor", is a very experienced campaigner and will seek to improve on her further overall from 2019.
Another new marque for the division will include Norbert Reilly's new J111 Ghost Raider from Howth Yacht Club, which is expected to be quick downwind.
Norbert Reilly's new J111 Ghost Raider from Howth Yacht Club Photo: Afloat
The Cruisers Zero division will spend Thursday, Friday and Sunday on VDLR's Collen course over windward-leeward courses, but on Saturday, they will race a fixed mark course in the South Racing area.
Early forecasts
With so much riding on the optimum setup for the prevailing conditions, an early peek at weather forecasts from Met Eireann indicates there will be a breeze and plenty to produce a range of conditions over the four days. Medium to strong conditions with winds from a southerly quadrant will build from and provide some top-class conditions. Starting Thursday (July 6th), there will be medium conditions up to 13 mph with strong gusts for the first afternoon races. From there, the breeze is forecast to strengthen up to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph and with its southerly direction, the six courses on the Dublin Bay race track can anticipate a big sea state to boot. Sunday's last races, however, may see a drop in wind strength for a light to medium-air conclusion to the 2023 event.
