Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2025: Previewing the IRC Cruiser Racer Favourites on Dublin Bay

9th July 2025

Afloat.ie Team

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta gears up for four days of racing on Dublin Bay Credit: Afloat

Singer Neil Young's superyacht may have sailed away, but Dun Laoghaire is about to rock again this Thursday as European champions are among 100-plus cruiser racers competing for IRC honours as part of Ireland's biggest sailing event, Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, now boasting over 330 entries.

Crews attend the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta pre-race briefing at the Royal Irisih Yacht Club Photo: Michael Chester

Sunshine and sea breeze have arrived on Dublin Bay, so thermal winds will be the hot property for the regatta's four days from Thursday (July 10) to Sunday (July 13).

International Race Officer Con Murphy delivers the 2025 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta pre-race briefing Photo: Michael Chester

The south-easterly sea breeze materialises in the early afternoon, meaning any morning races could be sailed in a light air gradient of sub-ten mph, and afternoon races could be sailed in the full strength of an afternoon sea breeze at 15 mph, typically from a direction of 145 degrees. Provided, that is, that the high-pressure system hasn't squatted down on the bay so heavily as to suffocate normal wind patterns.

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Race track - Dublin Bay is approximately 70 sq kilometres or 7,000 hectares. The Bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and seven km in length east-west to its peak at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

Sea breeze conditions also present the prospect of smaller boats being able to finish races in stronger breezes, depending on when races start.

Knowing the likely conditions provides a hint of who the favourites might be in a potent fleet that has gathered to decide Volvo Dun Laoghaire titles in six classes (under IRC and ECHO handicaps), so Afloat sticks its neck out (below) with some predictions, class by class.

The four-day week starts with a First Gun on Thursday at 2 pm and the new Bay Race with a south-easterly wind forecast at 10 mph.

These sea breeze conditions appear likely to persist right through to Sunday's conclusion, so overall, it's a scenario that offers sailing throughout the light to medium wind range.

While there have been some Volvo Dun Laoghaire organisational adjustments to original plans since Afloat's last regatta sneak peek, the 'VDLR 2025' is on course to deliver, with entries now recorded at 332 boats across IRC and one design fleets. The action will take place across six different race courses offering coastal, windward-leeward and fixed mark courses.

The VDLR 2025 racing action will take place across six different race courses offering coastal, windward-leeward and fixed mark courses

If Windward-leeward courses are a dominant feature of the regatta, asymmetric kites may produce a light-air advantage, while symmetric spinnaker boats may produce an edge in stronger breezes as they carry kites deeper downwind.

Checkmate XX to Defend Coastal and Overall VDLR Crown

The First 50, Checkmate XX Photo: Afloat Howth's First 50, Checkmate XX Photo: Afloat

Coastal A (14 starters) The clear favourite in the regatta's second biggest class, with the mix of conditions expected, must be last month's Sovereign's Cup winner (with four straight wins), the First 50, Checkmate XX of Nigel Biggs and Dave Cullen. As regular Afloat readers will know, the Howth yacht is also VDLR's defending overall champion after her 2023 performance in the offshore class.

Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia of the RStGYC Photo: Afloat

This class comprises battle-hardened ISORA campaigners who are well accustomed to navigating the Dublin and Wicklow coastlines, so there's always the chance of a slip-up.

Paul O'Higgins' JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI of the Royal Irish Photo: Afloat

Enter former ISORA champion, the JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins of the Royal Irish) and the J122 sisterships, Mojito (Victoria Cox and Peter Dunlop from North Wales) and the current ISORA series leader, Chris Power Smith's Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

The J122 Mojito (Victoria Cox and Peter Dunlop from North Wales) Photo: Afloat The J122 Mojito of Victoria Cox and Peter Dunlop from North Wales Photo: Afloat

Added to this top group is Johnny Treanor's National Yacht Club J112e, Valentia, which was last year's Cork Week Boat of the Week.

Johnny Treanor's National Yacht Club J112e, Valentia Photo: Afloat

Although some pundits say light winds may not suit Rockabill VI, depending on what wind strength arrives on the coastal courses, expect two of these four boats to fill the rest of the Coastal A podium.

Ruth Looks Strong in Coastal B Division

ISORA Champion Tom Shanahan in the J109 Ruth Photo: Afloat

Coastal B (9 starters) Four J109s that are typically to be found at the top end of the IRC One division have opted for coastal racing this week, which means reigning ISORA Champion Tom Shanahan in the J109 Ruth from the National Yacht Club must be the one to watch. Across the Channel from Pwllheli comes William Partington's Archambault A35 Andromeda, with the only other contender from outside the bay being Steve Hayes's First 34.7 Magic Touch from neighbouring Greystones Harbour in County Wicklow.

The coastal classes will sail the Bay race on Thursday and three daily coastal races from the Outer Bay Race Area, near Omega mark, under Race Officer Michael Tyrrell.

Impetuous v Big Picture: IRC Zero Competition Heats Up

IRC Welsh National Champions Impetuous (Crompton/Miller/Hodges) Photo: Bob Bateman

Cruiser Zero (8 starters) - Welsh windward-leeward specialist Impetuous (Crompton/Miller/Hodges) has already chalked up a Class One win in the IRC Welsh National Championship in May, but this Pwllheli crew was unable to match the pace of the Evans brothers' well-practised J112e Big Picture from Howth last month at the Sovereign's Cup.

The Evans brothers' J112e 'The Big Picture' from Howth Photo: Afloat

The South Caernarfonshire Corby 37 will have to contend again with the Evans brothers, who earned a neat victory at Sovereign's; either of these can take the class title, but keep an eye out too for the breeze queen Final Call II, John Minnis's A35 from Belfast Lough, especially if Dublin Bay's sea breeze pipes up.

Champion Outrajeous Will Have the Edge in IRC One

Johnny and Suzie Murphy's top-performing Outrajeous of Howth Photo: Afloat

Cruisers One (13 starters) - In a fleet of 13, 11 J109s are set to compete against Johnny and Suzie Murphy's top-performing Outrajeous of Howth. But who has the boat speed to challenge the reigning National, European, Dun Laoghaire- Dingle and Sovereign's Cup Champion?

The Hall family's J/109, Something Else, shines at the Scottish Series, securing the overall title under Brian Hall's leadership with impressive first-place finishes Photo: Scottish Series

One likely candidate is the winner of last May's Scottish Series, Something Else. The John and Brian Hall J109 from the National Yacht Club is also the current series leader in the local Dublin Bay Sailing Club series, and what's more, they will have four-time Olympian Mark Mansfield on board. Strong competition will also come from Bay experts Tim and Richard Goodbody on White Mischief and Royal Irish clubmates Barry Cunningham's Chimaera, plus five-time national J109 champion, John Maybury in Joker II.

Tim and Richard Goodbody on White Mischief from the Royal Irish Yacht Club Photo: Afloat

Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble to Lead IRC Two

Swuzzlebubble sailed by James and Dave Dwyer Photo: Bob Bateman

Cruisers Two (12 starters) – In the absence of the Half Tonner 2Farr that took the class win in Sovereign's Cup last month, the Royal Cork's Swuzzlebubble (James Dwyer), as ICRA Boat of the Year, is a clear favourite in this 12-boat class. Competition for one of the few RCYC entries attending VDLR this year will come from DBSC's local Royal St. George fleet, including Lindsay Casey's J97 Windjammer, the current leader of the DBSC summer series, as well as the First 8 Allig8r of Brendan Foley from the Royal St. George YC. From across the Bay, Colin Kavanagh's J97 General Lee will also be fighting for a podium place, as will Frank Whelan's A31 Crazy Diamond from Greystones Harbour.

Brendan Foley's all black First 8 Allig8rfrom the Royal St. George YC Photo: Afloat

After Thursday's Bay Race, the Cruiser Zero, One and Two Classes will compete in the North Racing Area on fixed marks or windward leeward courses on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, they conclude racing on the Outer Bay course with the coastal classes.

IRC 3 Has Mix of One Design Keelboats

Quarter Tonner SKB, raced by Charlie McAllister represents Antrim Boat Club on Lough Neagh at the 2025 VDLR Photo: Afloat

Cruisers Three (17 starters) – With Solings, H-boats, E-Boats, J24s and Quarter Tonners all in the mix in the biggest IRC fleet of the regatta, it proves hard to pick a winner from such a varied bunch, not least because some of these one-designs do not rate well under IRC. It's worth pointing out, however, that a Tralee Bay Soling was the winner of IRC 2 at WIORA in Clew Bay last month, and this week, another County Kerry Soling is racing on Dublin Bay. Overall, though, perhaps the best pick of a potential winner is the news that a sister ship of the recent Quarter ton Cup champion from Cowes last week will be competing. The Antrim Boat Club Quarter Tonner SKB is a Farroux Bullit production-type quarter tonner, which points to some real performance potential for the Charlie McAllister skippered Northern Ireland entry.

After Thursday's Bay Race, the Cruiser Three Class will compete in the North Racing Area on fixed marks on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, they conclude racing on the Western course in the vicinity of Seapoint with a final windward-leeward race.

See the full entry list here

Published in Volvo Regatta, DL Regatta: Cr 0, DL Regatta: Coastal, DL Regatta: Cr 3, DL Regatta: Cr 1, DL Regatta: Cr 2

Published in Volvo Regatta

Tagged under

Sovereign's Cup

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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.