Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2025 Celebrates Top Sailing Talents (Prizegiving Photos Here!)

14th July 2025

Afloat.ie Team

Prizegiving highlights from the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2025, celebrating top performers and their achievements at the Royal St. George Yacht Club on July 13th. Scroll down for a photo gallery of winners Credit: Michael Chester

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2025 Perpetual Trophy Winners were amongst the top prizes announced to a packed crowd at the Royal St. George Yacht Club on Sunday afternoon (July 13th). The 10th prizegiving drew to a close a thrilling weekend of world-class sailing, blue skies and vibrant activity on and off the water.

Almost 350 boats competed across five race courses on Dublin Bay, with the country's biggest sailing event marking a major highlight of the Irish sporting summer.

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, and local Dun Laoghaire TD, presented prizes at the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Prizegiving 2025 at the Royal St. George Yacht Club Photo: Michael Chester

Journalist and sailor Bryan Dobson officiated the prizegiving, and Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, a local Dun Laoghaire TD, presented some of the premier awards alongside Maria McEnery from Volvo Car Ireland sponsors.

The Volvo Trophy for the Best Overall IRC performance was awarded to John and Suzie Murphy in Outrajeous. The Howth campaign is the reigning IRC One National, European Champion, the overall winner of the 2025 Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race, and most recently, Sovereign's Cup Champion, leaving just enough room for the VDLR trophy addition on the Murphy mantlepiece.

The Volvo Trophy for Best Overall IRC performance went to John and Suzie Murphy of the J109 Outrajeous Photo: Michael Chester

The Sealink Trophy for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta Coastal Series went to Nigel Biggs, Skipper of Checkmate XX, after winning all four coastal races. The Howth Yacht Club First 50 is the reigning 2024 IRC European Corinthian champion, a title won with sporting flair, given that her skipper makes a point of introducing young crews from other disciplines to cruiser-racing. Biggs is just back from the south coast where Checkmate XX made a clean sweep of the Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale in June.

Nigel Biggs' Checkmate XX was the Sealink Trophy winner for his boat's Dun Laoghaire Regatta Coastal Series performance and the prize was received by Checkmate XX helmsman Dave Cullen Photo: Michael Chester

The Dubarry Boot Boat of the Week went to the Beneteau 31.7, winning skipper Chris Johnston of Prospect. In a standout weekend, Johnston also won the RIYC HM Naval Base Trophy for the Best One-Design Keelboat.

The Dubarry Boot Boat of the Week went to the Beneteau 31.7, winning skipper Chris Johnston of Prospect. Photo: Michael Chester

James Dwyer's Swuzzlebubble received the Salamander Trophy for being the best visiting boat performance. Photo: Michael Chester

David and James Dwyer's Swuzzlebubble, who won the IRC 2 and ECHO divisions with five wins from six races, won the Salamander Trophy for Best Visitor, yet another trophy for the double ICRA Boat of the Year champion.

Niall O'Brien from Connemara won the Flying Fifteen East Coast Championship. Photo: Michael Chester

Connemara's Niall O'Brien, who won the Flying Fifteen East Coast Championships in a fleet of 29 boats, was the recipient of the NIYC Darthula Trophy for the Best Dinghy/Small Keelboat result. O'Brien also won the BCP One-design Trophy

The Jack Roy Trophy was awarded to the VDLR 2025 Results Team and presented by Rosemary Roy to Ian Bowring. Photo: Michael Chester

The Jack Roy Trophy, awarded at the Chairperson's Discretion, went to the VDLR 2025 Results Team and was presented by Rosemarr Roy, wife of the late Irish Sailing President.

The best DBSC non-Spinnaker ECHO award went to David Greer of the Dufour 36 Vivid.

The Most Successful RStGYC award went to Michael O'Connor's SB20, Ted.

The Royal Kingstown YC Trophy, for the most successful RSt G YC yacht went to Michael O'Connor of Ted Photo: Michael Chester

The Dun Laoghaire Combined Clubs Regatta Trophy for the Best Overall ECHO performance went to Bobby Kerr in the J109, Riders on the Storm Photo: Michael Chester

The Dun Laoghaire Combined Clubs Regatta Trophy for the Best Overall ECHO performance went to Bobby Kerr in the J109, Riders on the Storm.

John Sugars from Dublin Bay 21, Geraldine, received the Kingstown 200 Trophy for the Most Successful Classic Yacht. Photo: Michael Chester

The Kingstown 200 Trophy for the Most Successful Classic Yacht went to John Sugars of the Dublin Bay 21, Geraldine.

John O'Driscoll sailing Moosmie won the Collen Trophy for the Best Water Wag performance.

Brian Cullen and Ann Kirwan won the Derek Cullen Trophy for the Best Overall Ruffian 23 performance.

Best Overall IDRA 14 award went to Alan Carr in Starfish, and the Best Female Team went to Michael Bryson's Beneteau 31.7, Bluefin II.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2025 Prizegiving Photo Gallery By Michael Chester

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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.