Displaying items by tag: RS Fest

14th February 2024

RS Fest 2024 is Heading to Lough Derg Yacht Club

The RS Fest is back for 2024 after a hugely successful weekend in Blessington last year; this time, the fleets are heading to Lough Derg Yacht Club. The core ethos remains the same of all RS Sailing to have family-orientated sailing with plenty of fun on and off the water.

Lough Derg Yacht Club (LDYC) was formed in 1835, making it one of the oldest in this country. The first Annual Regatta was held the following year, home to many talented sailors, both those whose competitive successes have been achieved representing Ireland at World and European events, but far more importantly, full of people who enjoy being out on the water, with their friends and families, pottering about in boats and enjoying a Swallows and Amazons existence, with the occasional adrenalin charged race, far removed from "Play Stations" and the like.

This year, RS Fest is guaranteed to have all the active RS racing classes represented in Dromineer

A major benefit of Lough Derg Yacht Club is its centrality, being accessible by most places in Ireland in around two hours, perfect for the RS family that is spread far and wide.

This year, RS Fest is guaranteed to have all the active RS racing classes represented in Dromineer, including the well-known youth RS Fevas, the competitive RS 200 and RS 400 fleets and the ultra-modern RS Aero single-hander.

The RS Aero singlehander will compete on Lough Derg at RSFest 2024

Racing will occur over the weekend of the 6th and 7th of July under the watchful eye of principal race officer John Leech. Registration will be open from Friday evening, allowing sailors to set up early to prep for a full day of racing on Saturday. Camping opportunities are available with showers, laundry and changing facilities in the yacht club.

For young or old sailors who may be interested in taking to the water for the first time, Irish RS Agents, MarineServices.ie will have some of their demo fleet on location, including the RS Tera, RS Neo and RS Zest for new sailors to try their hand at the sport and test out the latest models from RS Sailing.

For those sailors looking to sample new boats and minimise travel hassles, MarineServices will have many charter boats available, including the RS Feva and RS Aero boats. For more information or to book your boat, don't hesitate to get in touch with [email protected]

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Three Weeks to Go to RS Fest 2023 at Blessington Sailing Club

With just over three weeks to go to the inaugural RS Fest hosted by Blessington Sailing Club incorporating the RS200/400 National Championships, the RS Feva Nationals, RS Aeros & RS Teras, we thought it would be good to get a quick update out!

Entries are live and bookable on the all new RS Ireland Website, this website has been constructed to cater for all the RS classes in one dedicated website giving the entire RS Class Associations within Ireland a concise place for all news, information and entry links for each specific fleet! Entry for the Fest which incorporates all these classes is available here. Just find the relevant link for your class below and follow the few simple steps to enter.

Racing will be across two race courses, the 200s & 400s will start their National Championships on the Friday, racing through until Sunday. The Fevas & Aeros on course two kick off on the Saturday and racing Sunday too with the potential for a smaller course for the fledgling Tera fleet depending on take up!

RS Fevas

Camping accommodation is available on site in Blessington Sailing Club, however, it is booking up fast, even more of an incentive to get your entries in sooner rather than later! Blessington Sailing Club always cater excellently for camping on site… Coffee, showers & good vibes guaranteed!

RS Aero RS Aero

The Avon resort is booked for Saturday night craic and entertainment for all the classes. Meal and drink vouchers will be provided, and within their food court, there is plenty on offer from the Big Blue Pizza Bus, Big Dog Burgers, Sweet Churros, Brew Twenty one and an outdoor Bar! For all the info, have a look here. The Avon Food Court has a marvellous selection of premium sweet & savoury food trucks to choose from. Take your pick and fill your belly while you take in panoramic views of the lake. See you at The Food Court!

Local RS agents who are supporting the event, Kenny and his team have some great prizes available to raffle off with all proceeds going to the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea. Rumour has it that sails, clothing and boat parts are up for grabs, however you have to be there to win! Kenny & His team will be on hand all weekend to keep boats on the water with a trailer full of spares, tools, ropes, sails etc all there to keep the fleet on the water.

Charter boats are available for all classes, Feva, 200, 400, Aero & Tera. However pre booking at least 5 days in advance is essential as boats would need to be transported, rigged etc. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] if you require a boat!

Don’t forget to book in now for this fantastic weekend of RS Sailing at Blessington Lakes Sailing Club!

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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.