No less than four national keelboat titles will be decided on Dublin Bay this July as more classes than ever opt to run their championships as part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.
In total 11 class championships are now being sailed as part of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour-based regatta that will be split across two separate weekends as a COVID-19 measure.
From the keelboat fleets, Beneteau 31.7 and 211s along with Ruffian and Shipman classes will all race for national honours while Dragons will race for their East Coast Championship and SB20 race their 'Westerns'.
In the dinghy divisions, the GP14s, Fireballs, RS400 and RS200 will all fight for separate Leinster titles.
The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is a great festival of sailing across the waterfront and Dun Laoghaire town as four sailing clubs come together for the biennial event; Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club and National Yacht Club.
11 Class Championships ready to race at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2021:
- Beneteau 31.7 National Championship
- Beneteau 211 National Championship
- Shipman National Championship
- Ruffian National Championship
- Dragon - East Coast Championship
- GP14 Leinster Championship
- Fireball Leinster Championship
- SB20 Western Championship
- RS400 Leinster Championship
- RS200 Leinster Championship
- Royal Dee Irish Sea Offshore Championship
The 2019 Volvo Dun Laoghaire event was hailed an enormous success both afloat and ashore for a combined fleet of 498 boats in over 34 classes, the biggest on the Irish Sea. Over 290 races on five different courses were staged over four days.
For 2021, in order to facilitate social distancing and be Covid-19 compliant, a new regatta format will comprise the One Design Championship specifically tailored for sailors in the one-design keelboat and dinghy classes. This to be followed by an Open Cruiser Championship (8th – 11th July 2021) catering for the full range of Cruiser Handicap classes.