Displaying items by tag: DBSC

7th March 2023

Tight at the Top as 'Derry Girls' Leads into Final Race of DBSC's Spring Chicken Series

In a competitive climax to Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Spring Chicken Series this Sunday, the top 14 boats in the 37-boat mixed cruiser-racer fleet are separated by just ten points.

The final race of the six-race series takes place on Sunday off Dun Laoghaire Harbour at 10.10 am

The J80 Derry Girls leads on 46 points from the J109 Dear Prudence on 47.00 with three boats tied for third place; the J122 Aurelia, the J97 Windjammer and the Sunfast 3600, Hot Cookie.

Six races are being held on Sunday mornings from 5 February to 12 March using a progressive handicap on a time-to-time basis.

DBSC Race organiser Fintan Cairns has released results for the fifth race and overall, and these are downloadable below.

The J/80 keelboat Ram Ram was racing in the DBSC's Spring Chicken Series and videod by fellow competitor Pat Rigney

The prizegiving will be held next Sunday after racing at the National Yacht Club.

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7th March 2023

DBSC Committee Vessel 'MacLir' is on the Market

Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Committee Vessel, MacLir, is for sale.

The Blyth 33 Catamaran is identified with Dublin Bay's regular yacht racing scene and is regularly on duty at the capital's big sailing events, including the biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

The boat is on the market for €25,000 through broker Leinster Boats.

The semi-displacement hull is fitted with twin Ford Mermaid diesel engines. The boat has a large aft deck, and a pilot house with railed observation platform over the coachroof.

The aft deck has wheelchair access by side gates. Large sliding glass screen door aft of pilot house.

The multiuse Blyth 33 Catamaran Mac Lir working as a DBSC Flagship for yacht races on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

According to broker Ronan Beirne, the cat has the potential for pot fishing or as a tourist-related "dolphin watch" vessel.

The vessel is not coded.

See the full advert for MacLir on Afloat boats for sale here

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3rd March 2023

DBSC Spring Chicken Sailors Get Set for Penultimate Race on Dublin Bay

With a light wind forecast for the penultimate race of the AIB-sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series, the 38-boat cruiser-racer fleet heads into its fifth race on Dublin Bay this Sunday (5th March).

As Afloat reported earlier, J boats have a firm grip on the podium at the National Yacht Club after one discard has been applied.

Handicaps and starts for Sunday's race are downloadable below.

Chris Power Smith's Royal St. George J122, Aurelia is the new overall leader. The ISORA offshore racer leads the 37-boat fleet by three points overall from John Maybury's J109 Joker II from the Royal Irish Yacht Club on 21 points.

The J109 Dear Prudence lies third on 26 points.

AIB-sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series has attracted a buoyant fleet of 38 cruiser racers for the six-race series Photo: Finnie Kennedy

Six races are being held on Sunday mornings from 5 February to 12 March (first gun 1010 hrs), using a progressive handicap on a time-to-time basis.

Download Handicaps and starts for the fifth race below

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3rd March 2023

DBSC Seek to Attract Under 30 Sailors with Special Discount For Summer Dublin Bay Racing

Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC), Ireland's largest yacht racing club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, want to promote younger keelboat sailing teams, so much so that they are giving a discount of 25% on the normal entry fee!

Teams consisting entirely of sailors who are 30 or under on the 1st of April 2023 can enter and will receive a 25% discount on normal fees.

DBSC provides weekly racing for upwards of 360 yachts, ranging from ocean-going forty-footers to small dinghies for juniors and has over 20 participating classes for year-round racing on Dublin Bay.

All DBSC Green Fleet, Blue Fleet and Red Fleet entries are included in this initiative.

Commodore Ed Totterdell feels that this will appeal particularly to classes like the SB20s and Sportsboat class but also knows of some interest in other keelboat classes.

DBSC Commodore Ed Totterdell has launched a special Under 30s discount for Dublin Bay racing this summer Photo: Michael Chester

DBSC has also formed a special subcommittee of younger sailors to look at ways to make this season exciting and fun for members aged 30 and under. They are planning some great events for the 2023 season.

"It would be great to see a big turnout of young keelboat sailors, so get your team together and enjoy the craic and competition for 2023", Totterdell said.

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1st March 2023

DBSC Announce Pre-Season Race Training Day with Uk Sailmakers and INSS

To kick start the 2023 AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Racing Season, UK Sailmakers, in conjunction with the Offshore Racing Academy and INSS, are organising a Pre-Season Race Training day on Saturday, 22nd April.

All keelboats are welcome, and they will pick up tips, tricks, and advice to get the most from their sails in 2023.

The morning starts with a briefing followed by on-the-water training to include:

Windward Leeward course simulations with between three and five starts (depending on numbers)

UK Sailmakers and Irish Offshore Academy crew will be on the water, observing and videoing boats at:

start line
beating to the weather mark
mark rounding
spinnaker

The afternoon continues with a debrief, discussion, and video footage on mark rounding, start line tactics, and sail trim. The team will look at improving performance based on what they saw on the water.

"DBSC welcomes this great initiative to get boats in the 2023 AIB DBSC sailing season off to a great start", the club's Hon Sec Rosemary Roy told Afloat

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28th February 2023

J Boats Hold Top Three Places at the DBSC Spring Chicken Series on Dublin Bay

Heading into the penultimate race of the AIB-sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series on Sunday, J boats have a firm grip on the podium at the National Yacht Club after one discard has been applied.

Chris Power Smith's Royal St. George J122, Aurelia is the new overall leader. The ISORA offshore exponent leads the 37-boat fleet by three points overall from John Maybury's J109 Joker II from the Royal Irish Yacht Club on 21 points.

The J109 Dear Prudence lies third on 26 points.

Six races are being held on Sunday mornings from 5 February to 12 March (first gun 1010 hrs), using a progressive handicap on a time-to-time basis.

With a light wind forecast, the cruiser-racer fleet heads into its fifth race on Dublin Bay this Sunday (5th March).

Download the overall results below.

Chris Power Smith's Royal St. George J122, Aurelia AIB-sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series Photo: Maurice O'Connell/North Sails

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23rd February 2023

DBSC Spring Chicken Fleet Prepares for Fourth Race on Dublin Bay

The AIB-sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series 37-boat cruiser-racer fleet heads into its fourth race on Dublin Bay this Sunday (26th February).

After three races sailed, John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie from the National Yacht Club continues to lead overall on 33 points, but results are due to get a shake-up when a discard is applied after the fourth race is sailed.

Second is the J80 Derry Girls on 37, and another J80, Sea Jade, is third.

Six races are being held on Sunday mornings from 5 February to 12 March (first gun 1010 hrs), using a progressive handicap on a time-to-time basis.

DBSC Race organiser Fintan Cairns has released handicaps and starts for the fourth race and these are downloadable below.

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21st February 2023

Bavaria 33 'Great Escape' is Race Three Winner of DBSC's Spring Chicken Series on Dublin Bay

The Bavaria 33 Great Escape was the winner of the third race of the AIB-sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series on Dublin Bay on Sunday (19th February).

The race winner is now in 19th place overall in the 37-boat fleet.

Second and third places, over a new windward leeward course configuration on Sunday, saw the First 31.7 Mayfly taking second while third went to the Sun Odyssey 349 Little Rascal in the light to medium air race.

After three races sailed (and no discard yet), John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie from the National Yacht Club continues to lead overall on 33 points.

Second is the J80 Derry Girls on 37, and another J80, Sea Jade, is third.

Racing continues this Sunday morning off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Download results below

Live Dublin Bay webcam

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14th February 2023

First 31.7 Avalon Wins Second Race of DBSC Spring Chicken Series

The First 31.7 Avalon was the winner of the second race of the AIB-sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series on Dublin Bay on Sunday.

In a continuation of her good form, the 2022 DBSC Turkey Shoot Series champion is now lying in joint ninth place in the 37-boat fleet.

Second and third places, over a new windward leeward course configuration on Sunday, saw J80s Jay-Z and Derry Girls taking second and third in the light to medium air race.

Overall after two races sailed, John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie from the National Yacht Club leads from the J80, George 6.

In third place overall is Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

Racing continues this Sunday morning off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Download results below

Live Dublin Bay webcam

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10th February 2023

First Class 'Allig8r' is DBSC Spring Chicken First Race Winner on Dublin Bay

The First Class 8 Allig8r was the winner of last Sunday's first race of the mixed cruiser-racer 2023 DBSC Spring Chicken Series on Dublin Bay.

The 1720 sportsboat entry 'No Show' was second in the 43-boat entry, with Irish J109 Champion Joker II from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in third place.

The weather looks promising for this Sunday's second race of the National Yacht Club-hosted event, with light south-westerlies forecast on the Bay.

Download the first race results (for Feb 5th) as well as the starts and handicaps for this Sunday (Feb 12) below.

Live Dublin Bay webcams here

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Page 10 of 132

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.