Displaying items by tag: Women’s Open Keelboat Championships

5th April 2021

Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championship 2021 Teams up with RYA/British Keelboat League

The Women's Open Keelboat Championship (WOKC) will be returning to Hamble for its 12th edition in June 2021.

After sadly having to cancel the 2020 edition of the event organiser say they can’t wait to see lots of boats on the start line of WOKC 2021.

The 2021 event will take place on the 5th-6th of June out of the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

Alongside its IRC classes, WOKC has teamed up with the RYA to join the event with the British Keelboat League. This will give more opportunities to women who would like to compete at the event.

For the first time, teams will be able to enter the event and race in a competitive fleet without having to find a boat to use. Teams of 4 women can enter and compete in the event without having to find a boat to use/charter opening up the event to sailors who don’t have access to a keelboat. Further to that, the winners of the RS21/BKL fleet will qualify for the British Keelboat League Final.

RS21 racing

In addition to this, WOKC has also increased the upper limit of the IRC rating band to 1.150. This is to include all Performance 40’s and the new, exciting Cape 31 class should these boats wish to enter.

WOKC were able to do this as there will now be two separate race courses, one for the RS21’s and the other for the IRC fleet.

“We’re very excited to be joining forces with the British Keelboat League, it’s such a great way to get more sailors out on the water. It means we can open the event to more women from all over the country, allowing those who do not have access to yachts to enter the event. We are extremely grateful to Dubarry for their continued support and Royal Southern Yacht Club who are helping us to grow the event.” said Tor Tomlinson, Event Organiser.

Dubarry logo

“It is great that we are able to bring a British Keelboat League Qualifier to the Women’s Open Keelboat Championship this year. The WOKC is a great opportunity for talented sailors to get together and compete against their peers but it can be hard for those not already in the loop to get involved. By adding the BKL to the event we hope to see many more sailors get involved and hopefully, they can make connections to do more yacht and keelboat racing in the future. I am really looking forward to this year's racing, said Jack Fenwick, RYA Keelboat Development Manager.

Entries open for IRC at the beginning of April and with early bird entry of £80, available until 7th May. After that date, the entry fee will increase to £100. Entries will be open on the Royal Southern website here

Entries for BKL/RS21 racing is £330 per team. This includes entry, coaching and boat charter here

The Women’s Open Keelboat Championship was founded in 2008 by a group of passionate female sailors who wanted to compete in challenging racing against other women. Over the years the team behind the regatta has evolved but the vision has remained the same.

The organisers are all volunteers and donations of support, time and charity raffle prizes are all gratefully received. The event is non-profit making with all proceeds going to a nominated charity.

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Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championship Moves to Royal Southern Yacht Club

The Women’s Open Keelboat Championship was founded in 2008 by a group of passionate female sailors who wanted to compete in challenging racing against other women

The Dubarry sponsored UK Women’s Open Keelboat Championship (WOKC) will be hosted on the 13th/14th June from the beautiful location of the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

Ireland has previously been successful at the event with Howth Yacht Club helmswoman Laura Dillon winning in 2016.

Dubarry returns as title sponsor, having been a generous supporter of the championships since its inception in 2008 and having been the title sponsor for the last eight events.

Participants in the Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championships will have the opportunity to win much-admired Dubarry items, which will be available as prizes for class winners and in the overall Championship.

“We are very excited for WOKC 2020, we have a few changes this year including our move to the Royal Southern but are very pleased with Dubarry’s continuing support. After the great success of the RS21 class in the 2019 edition, the event is opening entries for a sportsboat class and hope that this will allow even more women to get involved!” said Tor Tomlinson of the WOKC organising committee.

The inclusion of the sportsboat class will allow boats such as J70’s, J80’s and SB20 enter and race under the Royal Southern’s handicap rather than having to get an IRC certificate.

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Women’s Open Keelboat Championships

Dubarry Renew Sponsorship of Women’s Open Keelboat Championship 2016

Action from last year's Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championships on the Solent at Hamble River Sailing Club

Dubarry of Ireland will be returning for the fifth year as title sponsor of the Women’s Open Keelboat Championships.
The Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championships is an all-female keelboat regatta taking place in the Solent on 4-5 June 2016 and the organisers believe it is the only event of its kind in the UK.
Dubarry take inspiration from the rugged Wild Atlantic Coast and Galway’s great sailing heritage to create the highest quality leather footwear, deck shoes and sailing boots as well as a range of clothing, leather goods and accessories. Participants in the Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championships will have the opportunity to win much admired Dubarry items, which will be available as prizes for class winners and in the overall Championship.
“The Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championships is an event that we thoroughly enjoy being involved with, both on and off the water. The superb location and excellent organisation is complemented by eager participants with a great sense of camaraderie, making this such a great event for us to be associated with” said Marketing Director, Michael Walsh.
WOKC aims to provide high quality racing amongst female sailors whilst also offering an environment that is encouraging to female sailors newly entering the competitive side of the sport.
Jen Smyth from the WOKC organising team adds, “We are extremely grateful to Dubarry for their continued support, which enables this regatta to continue. The event is great fun, and although we compete passionately on the water the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. We actively encourage newcomers to join us, so if you are a female skipper or boat owner, please get in touch to find out more.”
Hosted at Hamble River Sailing Club (HRSC), the regatta format focuses on IRC racing with a recommended rating of 0.88 to 1.101, split into suitable classes. One Design Classes will also be catered for if there are sufficient entries. For those with an available boat, but no current IRC certificate, the RORC Rating Office will issue a Limited Validity certificate for single event rating.
The popular Frocks & Flip-flops party takes place after racing on the evening of Saturday 4 June. Lady racers, their supporters and friends can let down their hair and raise some valuable funds for charities.
Entries are now open and early entry is advised to take advantage of the earlybird booking fee of £70, available until 17:00 on Friday 27 May. After that date, entry fee will increase to £90.

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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.