Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Sees Owens and Morris Retain GP14 Leinster Crown

10th July 2023

Ger Owens and Mel Morris (14256) were the overall winners of the GP14 Leinsters at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Credit: Michael Chester

The 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta attracted 25 GP14s. On Day 1, with big winds forecast, a 24-boat fleet made their way out to the Salthill racecourse with some trepidation. The fact they got three races completed says much for their patience and boat handling, as a 90-minute wait between Race 1 and Race 2 with gusts hitting 25 knots couldn't have been comfortable. But three races were sailed in up to 20+ knots making for a very lively first day of the GP14 Leinster Championships, which was being held as part of VDLR. There were three different race winners, indicative of the conditions and how open this Leinster Championship would turn out.

Sam Wray, with Luke Henderson, took his first race win in a GP14 Ireland Championship event. Race 2 went to Alan Blay & Hugh McNally, with Ger Owens & Mel Morris taking race 3. Greystones Rob Lee was unlucky; after posting a 3rd and a 6th, he crossed first in race three only to find himself OCS.

Sutton Dinghy Club Alan Blay & Hugh McNally led the fleet by a point after the first day of the GP14 Leinster Championships at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Michael Chester

At the end of Day 1, Sutton Dinghy Club Alan Blay & Hugh McNally led the fleet by a point from Ger Owens & Mel Morris, with another Sutton boat Conor Twohig & Matthew Cotter in 3rd only one point further back. Alan and Hugh counted a win in Race 2, along with a 2nd and a 4th, while Conor & Matthew had a 5th and a pair of 2nds.

Sam Street and Josh Lloyd Race earned a race win at the GP14 Leinsters at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Michael Chester

Day 2 dawned; conditions were far more comfortable for the fleet but still saw plenty of breeze. Race 4 saw the fleet contending with 16 knots gusting 23+ at times but this didn't stop the emerging Youth coming through with Sam Street & Josh Llyod from Blessington, who only had their first Championship race win at the Ulsters in Larne a few weeks ago taken the bullet. Alan Blay & Hugh McNally taking a 4th, Ger Owens & Mel Morris in 5th and Conor Twohig & Matthew Cotter taking 3rd, that will move them up to 5th behind Sam Wray. Rob Lee showed his form finishing 2nd and would move into contention after discards kick in.

Sutton's Conor Twohig and Matthew Cotter go downwind at the GP14 Leinsters at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Michael Chester

Race 5 saw Ger Owens & Mel Morris take the bullet to leap into 1st on countback from Sutton Dinghy Club Conor Twohig & Matthew Cotter who posted a 2nd and wre having a blinder. 3rd went to Paddy O' Connor who looks like he is finding his feet after rejoing the fleet with a new boat this year. Overnight leader Alan Blay & Hugh McNally lay 3rd overall after another consistent 4th place. Keith & Matteo Louden took 5th with Hugh Gill & Richard Street 6th.

The offshore breeze on the VDLR Salthill racecourse meant conditions could be very manageable for the GP14s (above) or... The gusty offshore breeze on the VDLR Salthill racecourse meant conditions could be very manageable for the GP14s (as above) or...Photo: Michael Chester....flat out fast downwind...or....Photo: Michael Chester ...or just a little too much to handle at times....Photo: Michael Chester ... just a little too much at times....Photo: Michael Chester

Race 6 and the final race of Day 2 ended with a 3 way tie at the top with Ger Owens & Mel Morris, Alan Blay & Hugh McNally and Conor Twohig & Matthew Cotter all on 14 points. On a sad day for Sligo Yacht Club, with the passing of GP14 legend Gus Henry, Sligos Sam Wray & Luke Henderson took their 2nd victory of the event ahead of Movilles John & Donal McGuinness with Sutton Dinghy Club boats, Alan Blay & Hugh McNally in 3rd and Hugh Gill & Richard Street 4th. Lough Foyle Yacht Club James Peter Hockley & Alan Thompson racing for the first time this season were 5th. Condition were brisk with big gusts but also saw the fleet fall foul to big shifts in the wind and some big holes. With 2 more race to finish on Sunday this Leinster Championship was still up for grabs with discards likely to be key.

(Above and below) The GP14 Leinsters was sailed on the VDLR Salthill racecourse in the west of Dublin Bay Photo: Michael Chester

Race 7 on the Sunday started in pouring rain down but with a nice SSE 14 knots wind gusting low 20s. The race saw the 3 way tie protagonists take the top 3 spots with Ger Owens & Mel Morris taking the gun. Alan Blay & Hugh McNally were 2nd and Conor Twohig & Matthew Cotter were 3rd. Movilles John & Donal McGuinness were 4th with Hugh Gill & Richard Street 4th. It was now all down to the last race with 1 point separting the leaders.

Race 8 and the final race of the Regatta Champions was won by Rob Lee with John & Donal McGuinness 2nd. A 3rd place for Ger Owens & Mel Morris ahead of Alan Blay & Hugh McNally in third was enough to secure the Volvo DL Regatta and Leinster Championship for Ger & Mel their 3rd Leinsters in a row. This was one that went to the very last with Ger & Mel only overhauling Alan & Hugh on the last leg to give them victory.

Sutton Dinghy Clubs Alan Blay & Hugh McNally were 2nd overall with fellow Club crew Conor Twohig & Matthew Cotter securing 3rd after a superb event.

Another great Volvo DL Regatta for the GP14 Ireland fleet saw the Classes emerging Youth continue to take race wins in Championship events. The event saw GP14 boats travel from across the country with crews from Tralee and Cullaun in Munster, Larne, Lough Foyle, Moville and Newtownards in Ulster, Sligo in the West in addition to 'local' boats from Greystones, Dun Laoghaire, Sutton and Skerries. Some new boats and returning GP14 stalwarts in attendance all made for a great weekend. The big winds also made for a change as its a long time since we had a full days with strong breeze.

Ger Owens and Mel Morris, Race 4 and overall winners of the GP14 Leinsters at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

Alan Blay and Hugh McNally Race 2 winners of the GP14 Leinsters at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

Sam Street and Josh Lloyd Race winners in the GP14 Leinsters at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

Sam Wray and Luke Henderson Race 1 winners in the GP14 Leinsters at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

A big shout out to Blessington's Richard Street, who, having endured a very hard day's racing on Friday, jetted back to Blessington for some fibreglass and tools and then worked well into the night to make sure that Jennifer & Laras Newtownaeds boat Boatzart Blues could take to the water after being majorly holed during Friday's racing.

Congratulations to other GP14 sailors competing in other fleets, with Shane MacCarthy to the fore in Flying Fifteen and Josh Porter, Adrian Lee and Ossian Geraghty taking 1st and 2nd in the Fireballs.

Next up, there will be a number of the GP14 fleet heading to Looe for the British GP14 Nationals 5-11 August, including Curly Morris, Alan Blay & Hugh McNally, Conor Twohig & Mathew Cotter, Hugh Gill & Richard Street and Ross & Jame Kearney.

The next GP14 Ireland Class event is the Summer Open & Youth Championship in Rush on 19/20 August.

Scroll down for 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta results class by class

Read all the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Race News in one handy link here
Click links to read more on VDLR IRC divisions Coastal, IRC Zero, IRC One, IRC Two and IRC Three
Listen to Lorna Siggins's interview with Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Race Director Paddy Boyd here
Read more on the Coastival Festival here
See live Dublin Bay webcams covering here

Afloat will be posting regular race updates throughout the 2023 Regatta. Send your photos, tips and stories by email to [email protected]

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2023 Race Results

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Published in Volvo Regatta, GP14

Published in Volvo Regatta

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GP14

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.