Ryan and Rock Dominate 29er Nationals on Dublin Bay

23rd June 2026

Thomas Chaix

Skiff Sprint — The 29er fleet powers across Dublin Bay during the 2026 National Championships at Royal St George Yacht Club. Ten teams contested a ten-race series in varied conditions over three days Credit: Jamie Keegan

As summer seemed to have finally arrived, the 29er National Championships kicked off at the Royal St. George Yacht Club from the 19^th to 21^st June 2026, supported by Covy Watersport.

With 10 teams, all relatively new to the fleet, they competed with the mix of conditions only Dublin Bay could throw at them. To allow time for travelling teams, some of whom were still sitting state exams, a late start and only two races were planned for Friday. A full card of 5 races was achieved on Saturday once the sea breeze kicked in, and on Sunday, light airs allowed for a further 3 to make up a competitive 10-race series.

Race Officer Barry O’Neill wasted no time in turning the races around. His team were busy as this highly competitive class saw some of the boats finishing within seconds of each other.

First-time 29er eventers Julian O’Leary and Dillon Kennedy (RStGYC) claimed the top Boys team with some very consistent sailing. Another set of newcomers to the class Emily and Annabel Ridout (Ballyholme YC) picked up the best Rookie team (first season in the class), showing that their strong Feva abilities translate nicely into the skiff class.

Gemma Brady and Grace Keating (NYC & LDYC) took home a silver Irish Sailing medal in second place, followed closely by Louise Hanley and Sebastian Wright (NYC) in third.

Despite the efforts of their opposition, the event was to be a standout performance by Juliet Ryan & Ella Rock (RStGYC) with an untouchable line of race wins and 2nds, picking up some serious silverware and bringing home the overall Cullen cup (a beautiful silver model of a 29er), the top ladies title, along with the U17 honours.

National champions Juliet Ryan and Ella Rock of Royal St George Yacht Club receive the Cullen Cup after a dominant performance at the 2026 29er National Championships on Dublin Bay. Photo: Jamie Keegan

As the 29er fleet continues to build, the success of the National Championships and the standard of sailing is clear evidence that the fleet is moving in the right direction.

Next up for some of the sailors is the World Championships in Kiel, Germany. Having previously qualified at the Youth Nationals in April in Ballyholme YC and the Eastern Championships in NYC in May, Juliet & Ella, Gemma & Grace and Louise & Seb leave for Germany next weekend. Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet will keep working on home waters, perfecting their skills with their eyes well set on the Double Ree event, which runs on the 25/26 July.

With the 8-race Easterns followed by a 10-race nationals, no other class offers such competitive, adrenaline-filled fun racing.

Race Results

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Published in 29er, National YC, Dublin Bay

Published in 29er

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About The Author

Thomas Chaix

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Thomas Chaix is Head Coach at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. He currently sails the 49er dinghy (for fun) but raced the Laser for 25 years and has been a member of French and Irish teams

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About the 29er Skiff Dinghy

The 29er is a one-design double-handed, single trapeze skiff for youth sailors.

There is an active class in Ireland, just one of the 38-countries from across all continents now racing the high-performance skiff.

The 29er is one of the latest dinghy classes to arrive in Ireland and has a 50/50 split between boys and girls.

The class like to describe the boat as "The most popular skiff for sailors who want to go fast!".

Derived from the Olympic class 49er class and designed by Julian Bethwaite the 29er was first produced in 1998.

Two sailors sail the 29er, one on trapeze.

The class is targeted at youth sailors aiming at sailing the larger 49er which is an Olympic class.

The 6.25-metre high rig features a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker; a self-tacking jib decreases the workload of the crew, making manoeuvres more efficient and freeing the crew to take the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The 15.00 m2 spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and manoeuvres in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The 74kg weight hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is in three parts - an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease both overall weights, and the capsizing moment a heavy mast tip can generate. Foils are aluminium or fibreglass.