Twelve boats, including the overall 2025 series leader and her near rival sistership, will compete in ISORA's Royal Dee Offshore Championship, which is being sailed as part of next week's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, kicking off this Saturday (July 5th) with the cross-channel Lyver Trophy Race.
The two top-rated J122s, Chris Power Smith's Aurelia from the Royal St.George in Dun Laoghaire and the North Wales Mojito of Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox, are back in action after last weekend's Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale and are likely to set the pace.
Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox's North Wales J122 Mojito in Irish waters for ISORA, D2D, Sovereign's and now VDLR Photo: Afloat
It's a fleet that unfortunately does not feature former champion, Paul O'Higgins's Rockabill VI, who finished third in last month's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race.
The Lyver offshore will be scored at a weighting of 1.2. The VDLR races are at 1.0. There are no discards - all races count.
Chris Power Smith's Aurelia from the Royal St.George YC continues to lead the ISORA Championships overall by a margin of five points Photo: Afloat
Another D2D competitor, the sixth overall Lombard 46 Pata Negra, pictured top, co-skippered by Andrew and Sam Hall, is racing; however, it will be the largest boat in the fleet.
The 75-miler will bring the ISORA fleet from Holyhead across the Irish Sea to Dun Laoghaire in advance of Thursday's regatta that includes four coastal races, as part of its massive lineup, for the Royal Dee Offshore top prize.
Winds are southwesterly, which will give the fleet a beating leg across the Irish Sea, leaving Rockabill to port off the Dublin coast, then passing the Kish Light House to starboard on to ISORA's Dublin Bay Virtual Mark.
Proposed starters - ISORA Race 12 - Offshore - Lyver Trophy Race and 1st race of Royal Dee Offshore Championship
This is the twelfth race in the Musto ISORA 2025 series, and the fifth ISORA Offshore race.
