Displaying items by tag: Boyne Swim

12th September 2022

River Boyne Swim Attracts Biggest Ever Entry at Drogheda

The seventh annual Boyne Swim took place on Saturday, 10th September, with the biggest entry ever of 270 swimmers taking part on the day. It was a beautiful sunny day with excellent weather conditions, and the River Boyne was in excellent condition for the race. Competitive swimmers came from all corners of the country for the 2.7km swim, which is now a race of distinction on the national open water swim calendar. For many competitors, this swim was their ninth qualifying swim for the upcoming Liffey swim and, therefore of huge significance. Some travelled from Donegal the evening before and overnighted in the town before taking part; others were on the road from 6 am that morning!

Ray Donagh of the Boyne Swim Committee said, ‘This swim has now joined the elite group of city swims in Ireland and over the seven years has really become a big deal on the National open water swim calendar, attracting a wider audience each year. It is great for Drogheda and for the sport of open water swimming’.

Huge numbers of spectators, families and friends cheered on the swimmers the whole way from the starting point at mell to the finish line at the Boyne Fisherman’s Headquarters on Marsh Road. The atmosphere was buzzing with everyone waiting for their heroes to come into view.

Swim 2022 Trophy Pic (l-r) Female Winner Charlotte Reid, Male Winner Donncha O Saidhail, Overall Winner (Junior Male) Finn O’Neill, Junior Female Winner Caoimhe Doyle

Representatives from Drogheda Port Company and Drogheda Triathlon Club presented each of the overall winners with the iconic Drogheda Port perpetual trophies, and the category winners was as follows;

Overall Winner Finn O’Neill, ESB Swim Club, with a time of 31.30 mins, Finn at only 18 years old, is still classified as a junior. His mother, Edwina Kelly, who was proud as punch is actually a native of Duleek Street in Drogheda.

Overall Male Winner Donncha O Siadhail, Meath Master Swim Club with a time of 32.50 min
Overall Female Winner Charlotte Reid, Aer Lingus Swim Club with a time of 35.30 mins
Overall Female Junior Caoimhe Doyle, Drogheda Swim Club with a time of 35.47 mins

Gold, silver and bronze medal winners were presented in the many individual categories, two of which were a Drogheda Swim Club hat-trick!

The beauty of the Boyne, the stunning Ronan Halpin trophies and the prestige and challenge of the race itself has earned the Boyne Swim the reputation of being one of the best open water swims organised in the country.

The event was organised by the Drogheda Triathlon Club with the assistance of the untiring support from local volunteer groups such as the Red Cross, Boyne Fisherman’s, Drogheda Fire Service, the Coast Guard and the volunteer kayakers.

Published in Drogheda Port

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Record Numbers For Boyne Swim As Husband & Wife Claim Top Honours

This year’s Boyne Swim category winners: Husband-and-wife Tom Healy and Rachael Lee flank juniors Sean Black and Aoife Doran

Husband-and-wife pair Tom Healy and Rachel Lee took top honours in the annual Boyne Swim through Drogheda yesterday (Saturday 15 June).

Tom claimed the overall race title with a time of 27.25 minutes, while his wife Rachel Lee finished a close second (27.58 mins) and claimed the overall female title.

The annual Boyne Swim, in association with Drogheda Port and Aura, celebrated its sixth year with 251 swimmers taking part — making it one of the most favoured events on the Irish open water swimming calendar.

“Whether it’s the beauty of the Boyne, the stunning Ronan Halpin trophies or the prestige and challenge of the race itself, swimmers arrived in their droves on Saturday to battle the 2.7 kilometre race,” said the organisers.

The course started at Mell and meandered eastwards, passing under five bridges through Drogheda Port before finishing up at the Boyne Fisherman’s headquarters.

While most swimmers entered the water in skins or wetsuits, a few others opted to brave the elements in togs or swimsuits.

This year a team from Drogheda’s Red Door Project took part in the race after training for many months. The team were swimming to raise funds and awareness for the national children’s cancer charity Aoibheann’s Pink Tie.

Each of the four category winners were presented with Drogheda Port perpetual trophies:

Overall Winner: Tom Healy (27.25 mins)
Overall Female Winner: Rachel Lee (27.58 mins)
Overall Male Junior: Sean Black (30.05 mins)
Overall Female Junior: Aoife Doran (29.22 mins)

The sixth Boyne Swim was again organised by the Drogheda Triathlon Club with the assistance of a number of local voluntary organisations.

Published in Sea Swim

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Boyne Swim

River Boyne Swim Won By Wicklow Triathlete Brian Harris

#boyneswim – The inaugural Boyne swim which was held as part of the Irish maritime festival was won by nationally acclaimed swimmer and tri-athlete Brian Harris, Base2Race, from Ashford Co Wicklow who won the race in a time of 27.46 Minutes. The overall winning female was Rachael Lee from Dublin and the overall junior was Muiris O'Murchadha also from Dublin aged 17.

Over 150 swimmers participated in the race and the course was 2.7km on the river

Boyne going throught he centre of Drogheda and the Port and finishing South East of the famous Viaduct Bridge. It was organised by the Drogheda Triathalon Club in conjunction with Drogheda Port Company. The race is set to become part of the annual swim calendar and will join the Liffey and DunLaoighre Harbour elite swims.

The perpetual trophies for the three winning categories of the inaugural Boyne Swim were sponsored by Drogheda Port Company and have been exclusively designed and created by well-known Drogheda sculptor, Ronan Halpin who grew up on the banks of the river Boyne. He now resides in Keel, Achill Island where he showcases his stunning and unique artwork in his own public art gallery. He draws his inspiration from his maritime surroundings.

Published in Sea Swim

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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.