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The first of a number of pre-season offshore racing talks are scheduled for this coming Tuesday the 22nd of March 2022. The discussion, aimed at all levels of offshore sailing, is there to answer many of your questions and myths…
2022 promises to be a bumper year for offshore racing, especially in Ireland with the much-awaited Round Ireland Yacht Race undoubtedly the highlight of the year ahead for many offshore sailors in Ireland. As detailed last year, the Offshore Racing…
Peter Dunlop and Victoria Cox’s champion J/109 Mojito is entered into June's Wave Regatta at Howth
Peter Dunlop and Victoria Cox’s champion J/109 ‘Mojito’ is the first UK entry for this year's Wave Regatta in Howth Yacht Club in June. The Pwllheli Sailing Club boat from North Wales is a regular and prominent force on the…
Midwinter lull in an otherwise stormy mid-Atlantic – Pamela Lee in a brief respite aboard the Class40 Redman during the mid-winter west-east Transatlantic Crossing
When they come to write further histories of the Covid Pandemic and the world’s uneven emergence from it, they should call on the many experiences of long-distance sailor Pamela Lee of Greystones. She has somehow managed to keep the development…
If a World Sailing rethink goes ahead Category 3 offshore races such as the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race (above) would be exempted from the new out of water structural inspection rule.
A World Sailing re-think is under consideration to exempt Category 3 offshore races from the new requirement for documented structural inspection. Changes to the World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) came into effect on January 1 2022, and mean an additional requirement…
The ICRA National Championships that take place as part of Cork Week will have a double weighting for the Boat of the Year Award in 2022
12 regattas and series will determine the Irish Cruiser Racer Association (ICRA) Boat of the Year award in 2022 including Kinsale Yacht Club's new south coast offshore race around the Blasket Islands. Scoring in the Boat of the Year competition…
Pete Smyth's Sunfast 3600 Searcher at the start of the 2021 D2D Race start from Dun Laoghaire. The boat was back out on the water in January 2022 in two handed set up for some training with sistership Hot Cookie
Wednesday morning saw some early 2022 season double-handed two boat tuning for a pair of Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 keelboats on Dublin Bay. ISORA campaigners Searcher (Pete Smyth) and John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie enjoyed 10-15 knots north-westerlies for a fast reach…
Keel failure - World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations will require keel inspection for Category 3 Offshore Races in 2022
Changes to the World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) coming into effect on January 1 2022, will mean an additional requirement for yachts taking part in races of Category 0 to Category 3. In 2022, Irish fixtures such as June's…
Richard Tudor at Pwllheli Sailing Club
A Welsh sailor with a longtime connection to offshore racing in the Irish Sea has been recognised by his home club with a lifetime contribution award. Richard Tudor was presented with the accolade recently at a special function hosted by…
Never happier than when afloat – Neville Maguire aged 93 heading seawards from Howth in his final boat, the Seaward 23 Two Much
Neville Maguire (1927-2021) was a devotedly local sailor whose racing was at world standard. Yet any civilised sailing enthusiast would wish to be as he was, for although Neville’s racing was important, it was only part of a lifelong love…
File image of yacht racing in Cobh
As noted recently on Afloat.ie, the historic Kingstown to Queenstown Race will return in 2022 in a modern-day format — reviving the tradition of a race first run in 1860. Hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, National Yacht Club…
ISORA Irish Champion 2021 Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins) negotiates Dalkey Sound in light winds during a coastal race in July
Following its AGM, ISORA aims to run the full traditional offshore series including the Wolf’s Head overall trophy in what will be its 50th season.  There are great plans for the 2022 season. We have proposed a separate Coastal Series…
ISORA's Wolf Head Trophy
Significant changes to the ISORA 2022 fixtures schedule (downloadable here) on the Irish Sea will be discussed online at this year's Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) Annual General Meeting. The offshore body promotes offshore racing on both side of the channel, principally…
There will be two ISORA Coastal Series, one on each side of the Irish Sea
Some significant changes to the ISORA 2022 fixtures schedule (downloadable below) on the Irish Sea are highlighted by ISORA Chairman Peter Ryan ahead of this year's online AGM.  The Offshore will be a stand-alone series for ISORA's overall Wolf’s Head…
A Jac de Ridder-designed High Tension 36 to the One Ton Rule. The late Johnny Morris took line honours in the first Round Ireland Race in 1980, racing sister-ship Force Tension

John Morris 1933-2021

9th November 2021 ISORA
At first light on Saturday 5th July 1980 off Wicklow, Johnny Morris of Pwllheli - who has died aged 88 - secured himself a permanent place in the story of offshore racing. In command of Force Tension, a One Tonner…
Paul O'Higgins' Rockabill VI was ISORA's James Eadie race winner from Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Saturday
Top Irish offshore yacht Rockabill VI was first in line honours, first in IRC overall and class in the seven-boat James Eadie long offshore (76-miles) from Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire yesterday.  Race 15 was the final race of the Musto ISORA Offshore Series…