Lough Neagh Sailing Club will be running Flying Fifteen one design keelboat starting practice sessions and three Windward-Leeward races on Saturday 9th April 2022 a shakedown event for the 2022 season. 

The Oxford Island event is open to all members and non-members of the Lough Neagh club.

In an attempt to keep costs down, and therefore entry fees to a minimum, prizes will not be on offer but the top three best-placed boats will be announced at an end of day farewell.

The entry fee per boat will be £20. The fee includes hot food after the racing.

The training and racing area is South-East Lough Neagh outside Kinnego Harbour. 

Former Flying Fifteen British Isles and Irish Champion Gerry Donleavy who died last year is one of three members of the Dun Laoghaire Flying Fifteen class to be honoured at the 2021 FF15 Trophy Awards Dinner in Dun Laoghaire Harbour this Friday.

The Royal St. George Yacht Club hosted event will celebrate the season's achievements on the water but the class will also commemorate its former helmsmen Donleavy, Jack Roy and Ross Doyle who all died in 2021.

Rosemary Roy, Jack's wife and flagship partner and the Chairman of the Irish Flying Fifteen Association of Ireland, Hammy Baker are guests of the Dun Laoghaire class for the evening.

The occasion will also be the last official function of outgoing Dun Laoghaire Class Captain, Neil Colin of the DMYC.

The successful defence of the Irish National FF Championships by Dun Laoghaire's John Lavery and Alan Green on Strangford Lough last August that will be saluted again on Friday was also rewarded last weekend with the National Yacht Club's O’Leary Cup for the best performance of the year in one designs.

The International Flying Fifteen 75th Anniversary Regatta, incorporating the 2022 European Championship and 75th Anniversary Race, will be hosted by Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club from 20 to 26 August 2022.

Over the week before from 18 to 22 August, there will be an Open Regatta weekend and series of shore-based events celebrating the life and work of Uffa Fox. The event is called Uffa Fox 2022.

As Afloat reported previously, Uffa designed the Flying Fifteen in late 1947. There are several stories on how it came about from a eureka moment in the bath to the workforce stretching out an International 14 mould in the workshop!

Sailing will be at the heart of the event which will also include static displays for historic boats

Sailing will be at the heart of the event which will also include static displays for historic boats. The Classic Boat Museum will host receptions and talks in their buildings which include a large Uffa Fox Collection.

Uffa Fox designs include National 12, International 14, North Norfolk 16, National 18, Firefly, Pegasus, Jollyboat, Albacore, Redwing, Daysailer, Flying 15, Other Racing Keelboats, Duckling, Fox Cub 18 and Atalanta.

There is only one criterium for entry and participation and that is that boats must have been designed solely by Uffa Fox.

For more info on the Flying Fifteen 2022 European championship click here

The International Flying Fifteen 75th Anniversary Regatta, incorporating the 2022 European Championship and 75th Anniversary Race will be hosted by Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club 20th to 26th August 2022.

Uffa Fox designed the Flying Fifteen in late 1947. There are several stories on how it came about from a Eureka moment in the bath to the workforce stretching out an International 14 mould in the workshop. However it evolved, in 1948 he built his prototype “My Dainty Duck” and took her around the country to promote the design and by 1949 there were enough boats to hold the first national championship at Cowes where 13 boats competed. The regatta was won by Sqdr Ldr Nance in number 6 “Neesa”.

1949 was a significant year for the class as Uffa persuaded the people of Cowes to fund the building of probably the most famous Flying Fifteen “Coweslip” as a wedding gift for the Queen and Prince Philip.

Uffa sailed with Prince Philip in Cowes Week in the Flying Fifteen class until the late 1960s.

Immediately before the FF 75th Anniversary Regatta there is another event that could be of interest to Fifteen owners which will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Uffa Fox, Uffa Fox 2022, which runs from 18th to 21st August.

More here

Due to the increasing Covid numbers, the Dun Laoghaire Flying Fifteen Fleet AGM was moved at relatively short notice from a person-to-person meeting in the DMYC to an online Zoom meeting last Thursday night.

Given that there are thirty-plus Flying Fifteens situated in Dun Laoghaire across three of the four waterfront clubs, an attendance in the high teens/low twenties could be considered quite good in this day and age.

Outgoing Class Captain, Neil Colin (4028/DMYC), who served a two-year term due to the shortened Covid afflicted 2019 season, presented his report that among other things highlighted the new boat additions to the fleet, 4093 Ian Matthews & Keith Poole and 4085 Shane McCarthy and noted that there have been further upgrades to the fleet over the past couple of years – 4057 Tom Murphy, 4068 David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne, 4081 Ben Mulligan and 4083 John Lavery & Alan Green. It was also noted that Mick Quinn and Mary-Jane Mulligan have also brought in a boat from the UK – 3960 in recent weeks.

He referenced the proposed changes by DBSC to a Windward-Leeward course for Thursday night racing and conceded that while the change didn’t materialise in the strictest form of a W/L course, we still had enjoyed good racing on Thursdays that had departed from the traditional multi-mark races that are a feature of Thursday night racing to a three-mark format. In all we had enjoyed 48 races over the summer months, not counting three weeks of “trial races” at the very start of the DBSC season. Thanks were offered to the various Race Officers and Race Teams who had given of their time throughout the season.

Travelling to away events had presented a challenge, with only one DL Fifteen contesting the Northern Championships in Portaferry. A better turnout was recorded for the Nationals in SLYC. However, the one DL-hosted event had seen local boats parked on the hard over the weekend in question.

The ongoing Covid situation also impacted on the social side of the season and it has now also claimed the Annual Dinner and Prize-giving, originally scheduled for Friday 26th November in the National Yacht Club, but now postponed to early 2022 (hopefully).

There was some discussion as to how the participant numbers might be improved for 2022 and there was a view that communication is key to that exercise. In respect of travelling to away events, the suggestion was that a clinic on the condition and maintenance of road trailers might be an exercise to persuade more people to travel. Covid had impacted on a proposal to conduct a training weekend, so that was also put on the agenda for 2022.

Nationally, the FFAI committee had met the evening before, again on Zoom, and they will be concentrating on getting a 2022 calendar in shape as a preamble to a FFAI AGM, which is hoped might be held before the end of the year. In this meeting too, the emphasis was on getting numbers back on the water.

Congratulations were offered to the various winners during the 2021 season – Alan Balfe & Patrick Frison Roche (Tuesday nights, Fifty Something Cup)), David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne (Saturdays, Bryan S Ryan Trophy) Ken Dumpleton and Joe Hickey (Thursdays, Flying Fifteen Gun), Peter Murphy & Ciara Mulvey (Midweek Handicap Racing, Blake Cup) Niall & Susan Coleman (Facet Trophy) and Ian Matthews and Keith Poole (Captain’s Prize).
Peter Sherry gave a very favourable report on the Fleet’s Finances.

In terms of the officers for the 2022 Season, Jill Fleming has been selected as Class Captain with Keith Poole as her Vice-Captain. Frank Burgess stood down as Trophy Secretary with Ronan Beirne selected as his successor. David Mulvin passed on the role of Secretary but as I didn’t take notes, I can’t tell you his successor! Peter Sherry retains the Treasurer portfolio.

Neil Colin was acclaimed for his stewardship of the fleet over the past two seasons.

Zoom timed the meeting out before any meaningful discussion under Any Other Business.

Ken Dumpleton and Joe Hickey of the host club were winners of the five-week-long Flying Fifteen Frostbite Series at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

As Afloat reported previously, sixteen boats are entered, with an average of 11 competing each weekend.

Dumpleton and Hickey in 'Rodriguez' led the way after their impressive three race wins on the penultimate Saturday. Tom Galvin and Chris Doorly in 'Thingamabob' finished second.

Peter Murphy and Ciara Mulvey were third. 

The National YC Frostbite Series for Flying Fifteens and Mermaids, run for forty years, resumed this season after a break of two years.

Results here

This weekend sees the conclusion of the five-week-long Flying Fifteen Frostbite Series at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Sixteen boats are entered, with an average of 11 competing each weekend.

PRO Keith Poole and his race team have provided great courses and racing in various conditions.

Ken Dumpleton and Joe Hickey in 'Rodriguez' lead the way after their impressive three race wins last Saturday, but Tom Galvin and Chris Doorly in 'Thingamabob' are just two points behind and with three races due on Saturday, they are still in with a chance.

Peter Murphy and Ciara Mulvey are in third place, followed by Tom Murphy and Karel Le Roux and Joe Coughlan and Andrew Marshall.

The NYC Frostbite Series for Flying Fifteens and Mermaids, which has been run for forty years, resumed this season after a break of two years.

The annual October Freshwater Keelboat Regatta at Dromineer, (hosted by Lough Derg Yacht Club and staged last weekend) has been no stranger to hyper-strong winds in times past. But in 2021's unusually gentle Autumn, it provided two to three days of very usable sailing breezes, mostly from the southwest. And if the sun tended not to put in an appearance until late afternoon despite the high-pressure area moving over the country, a least it provided welcome brightness when it did show up for the healthy outdoor prize-giving ceremonies.

LDYC Commodore Joe Gilmartin and his team, led by Honorary Sailing Secretary Fergal Keating, welcomed a strong fleet across four keelboat classes, with John Leech serving as Race Officer for the Dragon and SB20 area, while Liam Moloney looked after the Squibs and Flying Fifteens. All classes had sufficient numbers for good racing among boats which had come from many parts of Ireland. But it was the Squibs, currently on a roll and further buoyed by the prospect of the big championship – effectively the Squib Worlds – in Kinsale next June, which were in a league of their own, with a pandemic-defying turnout of 29 boats representing most Irish centres, and including a couple of cross-channel challengers.

Regatta time at Lough Derg Yacht Club

Morning promise of a good day's racing as the breeze comes whispering in – Dragons, Squibs and SB20s in Dromineer Harbour

The Squibs had the biggest fleet, and here Slipstream (102, Robert Marshall & Neil Logan, Killyleagh YC) leads from Fuggles (Sean & Paul Murphy, Kinsale YC).

Part of the Squibs' attraction is that they're not afraid to move away from standard white hulls, and LDYC Honorary Sailing Secretary Fergal Keating's Bodacious (crewed by David Maher) has had a particularly attractive paint job.

Part of the Squib's growing success lies in their entertaining and informative Irish Squib Forum, and its recently-posted enthusiastic response to the Lough Derg event by Fiona Sugrue-Ward of the Kinsale fleet joyfully captures the flavour of the class and the place and the pace very well indeed:

Lough Derg Yacht Club was the venue for the final Regional Squib Event of 2021. A bumper turnout of 29 Squibs raced in the Freshwater event, and it is great to see such numbers on the start line. The Fleet love going to Lough Derg, and as always the Club ran a super event, both on and off the water.

With six races held over the two days, conditions on the lake were almost perfect with southwesterlies averaging 10-12 knots making racing fair across the racecourse. There were 5 different individual race winners leading to a final race where any one of eight Squib combinations could have won outright.

Racing had been really close and placings up and down the fleet were impossible totally on the spot. When the numbers were finally crunched in the Race Office, it was Quickstep from Cultra with a consistent top and finishes and one race win which danced to overall victory with the Royal North of Ireland's Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan.

Sunshine finally breaking through – Fantome (730 Fergus O'Kelly & Ronan MacDonnell, Howth YC) chasing Granat (David Stewart & Brian Hare, Royal Irish & Royal Dee YCs)

Bookending the weekend with wins in Race 1 and 6, Kinsale's Outlaw 785 secured 2nd overall for Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan. Local Squib Femme Fatale 24, with Lough Derg's Joe O Byrne and Vincent Delany helming, went for 3rd overall.

Other notable mentions must go to race winners Toy for the Boys, Fantome and Firecracker. The fleet were delighted to have overseas visitors in Squib 11 with Pam and Dick Batt, and a Welsh Dragon was welcomed flying over Lil Quickie with Tudor Roberts and Ieuan Williams.

A fleet of 29 is a fabulous end to the 2021 Squib season, the close racing amongst the fleet makes for great events. The Class are already planning and looking forward to next year with Regional events and of course the combined UK & Irish National Squib Championships in Kinsale.

Squib Results Here

Volante is another boat from Killyleagh on Strangford Lough – sailed by Simon Watson & "Jordy", she place eighth overall. 

The overall format for the Freshwater Keelboat Regatta is the Dragons do three days starting on the Friday while the SB20s, Flying Fifteens and Squibs do two. But whatever your programme, the social highlight is the dinner on the Saturday night, an epic event even by the legendary hospitality standards of Lough Derg Yacht Club, which has been honing its hosting skills since 1835.

LOUGH DERG BOAT WINS SB20s

While there was convivial inter-class mingling, after the past 18 months of pandemic limitations, inevitably there were close-knit celebrations within classes that had seen little enough of each other since March 2020. The festive levels were notably high in the SB20s, where John Malone of Lough Ree Yacht Club was Presiding over his last on-water event, having served as top honcho with success despite lockdown limits, with the SB20s making a special effort to take their class message wherever and whenever it was permissible and welcome.

LDYC Commodore Joe Gilmartin (right) with Andrew Deakin's winning SB20 crew which included Aoife (11) and Clara (9).

This has been partially in anticipation of the Worlds being in Dun Laoghaire with the Royal Irish Yacht Club in 2022. But equally, there was a determination to make the best of the here and now with commendable attention to detail, which is one race saw the President taking time out to check the mooring lines on one of the race marks, unselfishly sacrificing what would have been a good result in Race 3 in order to do so.

SB20 President John Malone taking his Presidential duties very seriously with the time-honoured inspection of race mark moorings…..

……which is a ritual process, and done very thoroughly

Even with that, he and his crew of Emmet Sheridan and Alex Leech got to the 7th and final race well in contention for the win against the host club's Andrew Deakin crewed by Brian & Colm McElligott after notching victory in Race 6. But as the President candidly admits, they were having such lovely sailing that they failed to do the strategic calculations on how to conduct a cunning final race, and the Deakin boat Sonic Boom – whose crew betimes included Oppie sailors Aoife (11) and Clara (9) - took the bullet and the series one point ahead of El Presidente.

SB20 Result here

Things are looking rather better for the outgoing SB20 President, nicely placed in 3040, but in the end he was second by one point. 

CARRICKFERGUS & CONNEMARA DOMINATE FLYING FIFTEENS

The Flying Fifteens in Ireland have a fascinating development with a seriously-raced class taking hold in the heart of Connemara in the strongholds of the ancient Galway Bay traditional boats. It all started quite far back with older boats brought down by families for holiday sailing, but as our report on the Cong-Galway Race down Lough Corrib this year revealed, the far sailing waters of Connacht now include some hot newer craft of all types. The Fifteens are reflecting this, with Niall & Ronan O'Brien of FF Chonamara turning up at Dromineer with Buckfast and competing to such good effect that they took second in a fleet of ten.

Flying Fifteens on the run, Squibs on the beat

Their scoreline included a couple of firsts, but it was Belfast Lough sailors Trevor D'Arcy and Alan McClernon of Carrickfergus who were on top of their game with three first and a second and fourth to win by one point, while Alan Green and David Mulvin of the NYC in Dun Laoghaire were third after notching best results of a first and two seconds.

Flying Fifteen results here

LITTLE FELLA WINS TIE BREAK IN DRAGONS

It doesn't do to rush the final few miles down the winding road to Dromineer from Nenagh with an International Dragon in tow, for it's a boreen which might have been set up with Advanced Towing Driving Tests in mind. But at least the boats which came from Dun Laoghaire had motorway most of the way until Nenagh, whereas the hotshots from Kinsale had to contend with some of those nationally-notorious bottlenecks on the Cork-Limerick road before getting anywhere near their destination

This may have sharpened their determination to succeed once they got the fresh air of Lough Derg in their lungs, and with their elite three-day programme providing eight races, it came right down to the wire between two Kinsale boats, with Brian Goggin's Serafina and Cameron Good's Little Fella both on 17 points.

Dragons finding some sunshine on the run, with eventual overall winner Little Fella (211, Cameron Good KYC, left) making a successful break for it.

However, 2021 is Little Fella's year, and she added another title by winning the tie-break, with third place going to Peter Bowring of Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire with Phantom.

International Dragon Results here

The season is by no means completely over on Lough Derg, but there's no doubting that this year's successful Freshwater Keelboat marks a significant changing of the pace, with a distinct change in the weather now upon us to emphasise this. It's really anybody's guess what the country has to go through during the coming winter, but down Dromineer way they're already thinking of the bright weather of next summer. For in addition to its busy home programme and of course the Freshwater Keelboat Regatta in October (date is October 15th-16th, put it in the diary now), Lough Derg Yacht Club is hosting the Fireball Worlds 2022 from August 20th to 26th.

Autumn is well upon us – evening sunlight at Dromineer

The National Yacht Club and the Irish dinghy and one design scene are mourning the loss of sailing stalwart Gerry Donleavy of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, who died at the weekend.

Donleavy, a long-standing member of the NYC, won the 1988 British Flying Fifteen title and was a multi-class champion.

He was at home in dinghy and keelboat classes and travelled extensively across Ireland and Europe in a sailing career spanning almost 50 years. 

He claimed national titles in 420s, Fireballs and 505s, to name a few, before moving into the Irish keelboat scene in the mid-1980s, competing successfully in the J/24 before finally settling on the Flying Fifteen as his boat of choice.

He competed at international level in a series of World Championship campaigns in Australia and New Zealand.

Although he didn't compete when the 2019 Subaru Flying Fifteen Worlds were held in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, he was nevertheless central to the event's successful staging, an occasion he truly enjoyed as it gave him the chance to renew friendships with many of his antipodean rivals. 

Donleavy's lifelong love for the sport of sailing saw him in many roles, including that of instructor and coach and mentor right up to Irish Olympic team level. 

Donleavy, who ran specialist marine firm International Boats, was instrumental both afloat and ashore in promoting the Flying Fifteen as Ireland's most significant one-design keelboat class. Its most extensive base was, quite fittingly, at his home club.

Leading the tributes, in a message to members issued on Monday October 4, the NYC's Alan Daly said: "He was a great friend to all in the fleet, and he will be sorely missed".

Funeral arrangements are here

Lough Derg Yacht Club in County Tipperary will welcome one design visitors back to Dromineer for the Keelboat regatta on the weekend of 15th to 17th of October.

Four fleets are expected to the lake, with the biggest likely to be the Squibs, according to Derg's Joe O'Byrne.

The distinctive mace-colour sailed fleet expects a 30 boat entry to include Northern Ireland, England, Kinsale and Howth boats to compete against a growing local fleet.

The SB20s who recently competed on Lough Ree are moving to Derg for their final event of the year, and a fleet of 18 is expected in the last event of 2021 before staging the world championships in Ireland on Dublin Bay in 2022.

LDYC PRO John Leech - two race areas for the keelboat regatta

Lough Derg Yacht Club says it expects the Flying Fifteens will also be travelling, and estimates from the Dun Laoghaire fleet say up to a dozen will attend.

Up to a dozen Flying Fifteens are expected on Lough Derg

The Dragons will have competitors from Kinsale and Dublin.

The club has arranged a lift in/lift-out on-site, and, O'Byrne says, this will significantly assist the logistics for competitors.

LDYC PRO John Leech and his team have split the four fleets over two separate race areas.