McDonald’s Atara Wins 1720 European Championship on Lough Derg

6th September 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Double Champions: Ross McDonald’s Atara crew celebrate winning the 2026 1720 European Championship at Lough Derg Yacht Club, adding the European crown to their Irish title. From left: Ross McDonald, Julian Hughes, Robbie English, Paddy Good and Rory O’Sullivan

Ross McDonald and his Howth Yacht Club crew on Rope Dock Atara have won the 2026 1720 European Championship at Lough Derg Yacht Club, completing a National and European title double for the season.

McDonald, sailing with Julian Hughes, Robbie English, Paddy Good and Rory O’Sullivan, emerged on top after a ten-race championship to finish nine points clear of Robert Dix’s LemonCello.

Atara finished the series on 26 nett points, with LemonCello second on 35 and defending European champion Fionn Lyden’s Spiced Beef third on 43.

Atara’s Consistency Delivers European Crown

Consistency proved decisive for the Howth campaign. Atara’s ten-race scoreline was 1, 5, 4, 2, 2, 2, 5, 1, 4, (10), allowing the final-race tenth to be discarded.

The two victories came in races one and eight, while six of their nine counting scores were fourth or better.

It marks a return to the top of the European fleet for McDonald after Fionn Lyden’s Spiced Beef won the 2025 championship on Galway Bay. McDonald finished third at that event.

National and European Double for McDonald

The Lough Derg victory also completes a significant 2026 double for Atara. McDonald won the 1720 National Championship at Baltimore in June, when Rope Dock Atara topped the championship standings.

McDonald and Atara have considerable previous European championship pedigree. The Howth campaign successfully defended the European crown in Kinsale in 2023, while McDonald was also National and European champion in 2024.

There was further championship pedigree aboard Atara this weekend through Julian Hughes. The Waterford Harbour sailor won the 1720 Eastern Championship at Royal Ulster Yacht Club in 2025 aboard Root 1, when McDonald’s Atara finished third.

LemonCello and Spiced Beef Complete Podium

Robert Dix kept LemonCello in contention throughout the ten races, finishing second overall on 35 points.

Lyden’s Spiced Beef, which arrived at Lough Derg as defending European champion following its 2025 Galway Bay victory, took third on 43 points.

The championship attracted 17 boats, with ten races completed over the series at Lough Derg.

2026 1720 European Championship — Top Three

Rope Dock Atara — Ross McDonald (HYC) — 26 pts
LemonCello — Robert Dix — 35 pts
Spiced Beef — Fionn Lyden (BSC) — 43 pts

Race Results

You may need to scroll vertically and horizontally within the box to view the full results

Published in 1720, Howth YC

Published in 1720

Tagged under

1720

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