The Pwhelli Sailing Club, J109 Mojito of Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop, were the winners of the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series raced for as part of this weekend's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

As regular Afloat readers know, the first race was from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, the first of five in the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series. The other four were coastal races as part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. 

The Royal Dee Offshore Champions, the Mojito crew with Peter Ryan of ISORA at Dun Laoghaire Photo: Michael Chester

Royal Irish Yacht Club's Paul O'Higgins sailing Rockabill VI won Saturday's 12-hour Lyver Trophy Race from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire. 

The line honours winner in the tough test across the Irish Sea was Andrew & Sam Hall's J125 Jackknife.

The fixture was also Race 12 in the Musto ISORA 2023 Offshore Series.

Andrew & Sam Hall's J125 Jackknife was the Lyver Trophy Race line honours winner Photo: Afloat

The course took the eight competing boats northwest out of Holyhead before turning towards Wicklow. The course was selected to avoid the overfalls at the South Stacks.

Due to the strong westerly winds, the course to Wicklow was upwind and in large seas. The final leg north, along the coast, was a reach.

Throughout the race, there was a three-way tussle between Jackknife, Rockabill VI and Keith Miller's Prime Suspect from Kilmore Quay Boat Club.

Although finishing in that order, Rockabill VI won the race, the Lyver Trophy and RORC medallion.

The race is the first of five in the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series. The other four are coastal races as part of next week's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. However, Rockabill VI has elected to race in Cruisers 0 in the regatta, so the RIYC crew won’t take any further part in the RDYC championship series.

Saturday's 85-mile course for the Lyver Trophy Offshore Race across the Irish Sea has been confirmed.

The 18 entries will race from Holyhead at 0930 am, and organisers expect the first boats to finish around 9 pm off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The fleet will be heading on a short leg northwest from Holyhead before turning southwest towards Wicklow. They will then follow the coast north to Dun Laoghaire.

As Afloat reported previously, the race is the 12th fixture in the season-long ISORA points series.

The weekend fleet includes the reigning ISORA champion, the J109 Mojito from Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales.

The course for the race is as follows:

• Start line at Holyhead Pier lighthouse to Clippereau Buoy
• Langdon (P) 52⁰ 22.754N 4⁰ 38.646W
• Wicklow Outfall (S) 53⁰ 59.545N 6⁰ 1.286W
• Muglins (P) 53⁰ 16.515N 6⁰ 4.550W
• Finish between Dun Laoghaire Pier Heads

Forecasts indicate strong westerly winds for a windward leg across the Irish Sea.

The race marks the arrival of competitors from across the Irish Sea for next week's 350-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Saturday's Lyver Trophy Race Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire Offshore Race marks the arrival of competitors from across the Irish Sea for next week's big one, the 350-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. 

With a declared entry of 18 boats, the weekend fleet includes the reigning ISORA champion, the J109 Mojito from Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales.

The race starts at 9 am, and early forecasts indicate strong westerly winds for a windward leg across the Irish Sea, with the final course to be confirmed on Friday.

The JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club Photo: Afloat

In collaboration with Irish Sea clubs, the race is organised by Liverpool Yacht Club & Royal Dee Yacht Club with the assistance of the National Yacht Club and the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA).

The race counts as race 12 of the 2023 Musto ISORA Offshore Race series and the Royal Dee Offshore Championship Series.

Entries for the RORC Lyver Race

As ISORA's Peter Ryan explains, "The race is also the first of five races in the Royal Dee Offshore Championship series, with the four coastal races in next week's VDLR".

The race is a qualifying race for August's Fastnet Race. Winners will be eligible for RORC medallions.

"As well as the Lyver Trophy, the winner will be presented with an ISORA trophy. The prizegiving is to take place at the ISORA dinner in November, Ryan told Afloat.

The National Yacht Club's Sunfast 3600 Searcher Photo: Afloat

"Separate entries are not required for the Championship series. As there will be no discards, the boats that compete in all five races are the only boats that can win. The winner of the series will receive a trophy at the VDLR prizegiving. RDYC prizes will be presented to 2nd and 3rd place in the series", he says.

Alan Hannon's Coquine after rounding the Ailsa Craig, is an entry in the Lyver race. Photo: Hammy Baker

"There are no day prizes in the VDLR, but as part of the RDYC offshore series, there will be day-class prizes for boats in the VDLR coastal class. These will be presented every evening in the NYC, " Ryan adds.

Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI took line honours, first in IRC overall and first in Class Zero in Saturday's 23-mile race ten of the ISORA Series.

In a southerly 15-18 knot breeze, the six-boat fleet started off Dun Laoghaire Harbour under Race Officer Michael Horgan at 10 am.

The fleet left Muglins Rock at the southern tip of Dublin Bay to starboard, sailing down the coast to round  Moulditch buoy off Greystones Harbour in County Wicklow before returning to the Bay, leaving the Muglins to Port and a finish off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The Royal Irish line honours winner completed the course in four hours, 24 minutes and 31 seconds.

Second in IRC overall was Leslie Parnell's First 34.7, which was sailed double-handed. Third place in IRC overall, and the IRC Class One winner was the Shanahan family's J109, Ruth from the National Yacht Club.

A seven-boat ISORA fleet is considering a course proposal from Race Officers for this weekend's coastal race from Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race competitors are back on the water for ISORA's Race 10. Saturday's proposed 23-mile course to Wicklow is very similar to the opening stage of the 270-mile race a fortnight ago.

2023 D2D veterans Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI and Tom Shanahan's J109 Ruth are racing. 

Leslie Parnell's Royal Irish 34.7 Black Velvet will be racing double-handed.

ISORA numbers for race ten are reduced due to the weekend clash with the conclusion of the Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale.

ISORA Race Ten competitors

Starting on flood tide at 10 am, with a 15-18 knot southerly breeze, the proposed course from the Dun Laoghaire start is Muglins S - Moulditch S - Muglins P - Dun Laoghaire Finish.
23 miles. Breeches buoy instead of Moulditch would extend the course to 28 miles.

The course will be confirmed on Friday.

ISORA regulars and Pwllheli Sailing Club Commodore Mark Thompson sailing with Phil Jackson, compete in the AZAB race this Saturday.

The pair are sailing Jac Y Do, a Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200, in Class 3.

" We are now all prepared and ready for the start, the category 1 offshore inspection was very stringent and took a lot of preparation, but now completed. We are in good shape and looking forward to our adventure, " Thom,pson said before the off.

There are five AZAB classes and a total of 50 entries in the 2023 race.

Mark Thompson sailing with Phil Jackson (holding a bottle of Jack Ryan Whiskey)

The AZAB is a 2,400-mile ocean regatta starting in Falmouth and going to the port of Ponta Delgada, on the Azores Island off São Miguel. Leg two returns to Falmouth.

Competitors have time on the island for some R&R before racing back to Falmouth.

The race destination, Ponta Delgada, is the capital of São Miguel, one of nine Azores Archipelago Islands in the Eastern Atlantic, approximately 750 nautical miles off the coast of Portugal and some 1220 miles from Falmouth.

“Most yachts participating in the race take between 7 and 10 days to reach the Azores, allowing a week or so to relax and prepare for the return passage,” Thomson said.

Winning Co-Skipper Victoria Cox recalls Saturday's (May 20th) marathon race across the Irish Sea from Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire, where she says perseverance and determination in light winds were just as important as sailing skills onboard the J109 Mojito

We had a great start, timing the Pwllheli tide beautifully and putting us in the lead early on, but fellow J109 Ruth’s superior handling in light airs soon saw the Shanahan family of Dun Laoghaire take the lead and put a mile between them and the rest of the fleet.

Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox's performance in winning (the 1.2 weighted) May 6th Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli race plus last weekend's return fixture on May 21 – and the IRC Welsh Championships in between – means they go top of the 28-boat Irish Sea offshore fleet and a favourite for June's Volvo Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race Photo: Afloat

Then Bardsey Sound! We knew we’d struggle to get through due to our tardy arrival, but we actually seemed to be catching everyone. We thought we’d done it till trying to get out into the Irish Sea.

The tide ripping south off Braich y Pwll at the end of the peninsula spun the bow round with such force that I lost steering in the 2-3 knots breeze, and backwards we went. It looked like Ruth was having the same issue, being swept south towards the deadly rock ‘Maen Bugail’ at speed.

Peter [Dunlop, co-skipper] decided that we should spin around, retrace our steps and start again. We had three goes before we could finally get across the tide. We were so disappointed to see Ruth having to retire as we’d lost our rival - those guys really push us and keep us sharp.

The 24-hour length of the race was in Mojito's favour, having the lowest handicap of the competing ISORA fleet Photo: Afloat

As it was, the lack of any wind and strong tide off Bray Head reset the race once again, and as we anchored, Rockabill VI [Paul O'Higgins] floated back behind us.

A few zephyrs offshore in the early hours of the morning, with lessening tides, enabled us to make further progress, gaining ground on Checkmate all the way to Dalkey.

We were swept to the east of Dalkey Island, where we witnessed Rockabill being swept sideways through Muglins Sound, making amazing progress, so we duly tried to follow.

In the end, the length of the race was in our favour, having the lowest handicap of the fleet.

After confirmation of her IRC overall win in the weekend's marathon ISORA cross-channel race, Peter Dunlop and Victoria Cox's J109 Mojito now lead the ISORA points table after eight races sailed.

Despite not competing in some of April's coastal races, Dunlop and Cox's performance in winning (the 1.2 weighted) May 6th Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli race plus last weekend's return fixture on May 21 – and the IRC Welsh Championships in between – means they go top of the 28-boat Irish Sea offshore fleet.

The Pwllheli Sailing Club crew count 483.2 points to be 14.5 ahead of second overall Rockabill VI, the  JPK 10.80 of Paul O'Higgins from Dun Laoghaire's Royal Irish Yacht Club on 468.7.

Mojito's club mate, the J125 Jackknife (Andrew Hall), which lost line honours by seconds in Sunday morning's finish of the 24-hour Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire race, is lying third overall.

The top three are all entries in ISORA's next fixture, June's offshore season highlight, the 260-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race.

Results are below

In an elapsed time of just under 24 hours, Nigel Biggs and Dave Cullen's First 50 Checkmate XX from Howth Yacht Club claimed the line honours win by seconds this morning – according to the race tracker – in the Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire ISORA cross-channel race.

ISORA fans have to go back to pre-covid races to find races of similar duration, but ISORA Chief Peter Ryan maintains that the race will be 'good training' for the 260-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race that starts in less than three weeks.

"People think it's about sailing, but offshore racing is all in the head!" Ryan told Afloat after the finish.

The marathon fixture started from the Pwllheli Sailing Club line at 0730 hours on Saturday morning.

Light wind forecasts proved deadly accurate for the 80-miler that saw the first boat finish at 0830 hours on Sunday, thanks to a flood tide rather than the breeze after a long night in Killiney Bay.

Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife (left) leads Nigel Biggs and Dave Cullen's First 50 Checkmate XX into the ISORA finish line at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay but minutes later Checkmate XX pipped Jackknfie for the line honours win when Jackknife had to avoid a fishing boat at the mouth of the harbour and lost all momentum Photo: Afloat

According to the race tracker, Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife scored second in line honours despite leading into Dublin Bay. 

From an entry of 16, ten boats competed in the second ISORA offshore race of the season.

Provisional results give the IRC race win to the recently crowned IRC Welsh champion, Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox's J109 Mojito, but official scoring confirmation is awaited.