Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The 1720 sportsboat crew of Optique, skippered by Colin Byrne of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, were the overall winners of the 2023 AIB DBSC Spring Chicken Series at the National Yacht Club today. A final light race decider on…

As most readers will know, the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School recently took the opportunity to change their existing keelboat fleet from the popular Irish 1720 design to the J80. There were many reasons for this shift, the primary…

The 1720 sportsboat Class has updated its 2023 calendar with a missing Dublin fixture now pencilled in for April. As regular Afloat readers will know, the class confirmed three events for 2023, all on the south coast, but the sportsboat…

Sovereign's Cup Regatta Director Tony Scannell has published the Notice of Race (downloadable below) for next June's 15th Cup for Cruisers, Coastal and White Sails fleets. Scannell confirmed Kinsale Yacht Club is looking forward to welcoming everyone back to a 'full-strength'…

The relatively new venue for the fleet of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club will host the first event of three confirmed fixtures for the 1720s in 2023, the recent well-attended AGM has heard. The resurgent 1720s celebrated their 30th anniversary at Cork…

The march of the revived 1720 Sportsboats goes on despite their design origins at least thirty years ago. But even with all the fresh talent in the class, it was as if you were in the weekend's Championship at Baltimore,…

Baltimore Sailing Club will play host to this year’s 1720 Nationals from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 September. Registration will take place Wednesday 7th September from 5-8pm and on the following morning from 9-10am. The entry form and Notice of…

Volvo Cork Week 2022 was July’s regatta highlight, and with the Royal Cork YC’s Tricentenary cancelled in 2020, the Tri-Centenary +Two had much to celebrate, not least the remarkable revival of the 30-year-old 1720 Sportsboat Class, which in 2022 is…

43 1720 Sportsboats raced at the biggest meeting for the one-design class for many years at Cork Week. The racing was as intense as the partying at the RCYC Clubhouse. Veteran 1720 sailors joined forces with younger crews for close racing…

Rope Dock Atara, with Ross McDonald on the helm representing Royal Cork YC & Howth YC, scored a 4-1-1 today (Thursday) to all but secure the 1720 European Championship title at Cork Week.  After three days of light and complex…

The 44-boat 1720 sports boat class had a stand-alone Cork Harbour Race on Wednesday as part of their European Championships being staged in conjunction with Volvo Cork Week Regatta. The third day of Cork Week was blessed with sunshine and…

Just one race was completed on day two of Cork Week for the 44-strong 1720 Class European Championships. Light and shifty winds added to the complexity on the water as Race Officer Ciaran McSweeney and his race management team were obliged…

Current 1720 European champions Robbie English, Aoife & Ross McDonald from Royal Cork YC / Howth YC lead after the firsthree races sailed at Volvo Cork Week. Despite the balmy air temperature, RCYC's own sportsboat class’s return was marked by dense fog on the…

When anybody asks how the concept of the Cork 1720 Sportsboat Class first came to see the light of day in Crosshaven in the early 1990s, the response these days tends to be “Which version of the story would you…

Waterford Harbour Sailing Club took the top three places overall at the 1720 East Coast Championships at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Sunday, with the Dunmore East's club's Julian Hughes taking the title by two points.  The Royal Irish Yacht Club hosted a four-class…

The Royal Irish Yacht Club will host a four-class Dun Laoghaire Cup for sportsboats in May with racing for 1720, SB20, J80 and Beneteau First 21 classes.  The 1720 East Coast Championship, the J80 East Coast Championship and First 21 National…