July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta aims for a 400-boat fleet when Ireland's biggest sailing event resumes for the first time since 2019, today's ICRA Conference heard.

COVID forced the cancellation of 2019 and 2021's biennial event, but Dun Laoghaire's waterfront yacht clubs will welcome the massive fleet again this July from 6-9.

New VDLR Event Director Paddy Boyd has been in charge of some new developments for 2023 and told ICRA that there would be 36 competing VDLR classes ranging from small 14-foot dinghies up to ocean-going 50-footers.

In a strengthening of ties between the clubs and the local community, VDLR 2023 will dovetail with a weeklong 'Coastival' festival at the south Dublin venue starting July 1.

Boyd described it as an 'amazingly positive thing for marine leisure in Dun Laoghaire' to have Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council involved as a regatta supporter and also in charge of the town's harbour.

Cape 31

Boyd also told Saturday's conference the event will see the Irish Cape 31 class centre stage when it makes its high-profile debut at the regatta. As Afloat reported previously, up to ten Cape 31s are expected to compete.

The Cape 31s will launch off the town's Carlisle Pier for Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Afloat

Manage2sail

In a drive towards a paperless regatta, the organisers are now using the international Manage2sail programme for entries with an early bird discount operating before the end of March. 

VDLR will also employ the 'Sportity' app, a digital info board that keeps all event or club-related information in one place and well structured. Any new information reaches all users simultaneously, which can be deployed for changes to the four-day programme.

MarkSetBot

On the water, VDLR plans to deploy the world's first robotic buoy on Dublin Bay. Boyd says the 'MarkSetBot' offers robotic buoys and integrated course-setting technology for yacht racing, making race management simple, accurate and sustainable. It is likely the new marks will be deployed by a race officer via mobile phone on one VDLR course, most likely the RS21s. 

So far, the biggest early entries are coming from across the IRC classes with a champion Quarter tonner and Northern Ireland boats already signed up. In the one-design fleets, Sigma 33s and Dragons lead the early bird entries.

Boyd was speaking at the Royal St. George Yacht Club hosted ICRA Cruiser-Racer Conference at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, where key Irish regatta organisers unveiled 2023 sailing season plans.