David Tabb has been crowned 2026 Irish Dragon Open Champion after a commanding seven-race series at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire.
Helming Send in the Clowns, Tabb and crew Jack Bowen and Martin Westerdahl finished with a nett score of 12 points after discarding an eighth place, sealing the title with a race to spare before confirming the championship with victory in Sunday's final race.
The championship attracted 15 boats and produced close racing throughout the weekend in Dublin Bay.
Tabb's success came against a high-quality fleet headed by multiple world champion Andy Beadsworth, whose vintage Dragon Titan finished second overall on 17 points.
Built by Borresen in 1969, Titan is one of the class's best-known wooden Dragons. The yacht was previously owned by Gerry Owens and famously won the Gold Cup in 1974 with Nick Truman at the helm.
Vintage Pace: Four-time Dragon world champion Andy Beadsworth (centre), with Ben Cooke (left) and Dan Robins, receives the runners-up prize after steering the 1969 Borresen-built Titan to second overall at the Irish Dragon National Championship at the Royal Irish Yacht Club.
Beadsworth, sailing with Ben Cooke and Dan Robins, won Race 5 to keep pressure on the leaders but could not overturn Tabb's consistent series, which included three race wins and three further top-three finishes.
Third overall went to Royal St. George's Neil Hegarty's Phantom, crewed by Peter Bowring and David Williams, on 24 points after a tie-break with Denis Bergin's Sir Ossis of the River, which finished fourth.
Podium Finish: Neil Hegarty (left), with crew Peter Bowring (right) and David Williams, receives the third-place prize from Royal Irish Yacht Club Commodore Winifred Kelleher following the 2026 Irish Dragon National Championship in Dún Laoghaire.
Royal Irish Yacht Club's Denis Bergin opened the regatta strongly with victory in the first race and remained in contention throughout, but a discarded tenth-place finish in the final race left his crew just outside the podium.
Kinsale's James Matthews' TBD completed the top five ahead of Cameron Good's Little Fella.
The championship demonstrated the continued strength of Dragon racing in Ireland while underlining the enduring appeal of the classic keelboat, with both modern and historic yachts competing at the front of the fleet.
Overall Top Five
- Send in the Clowns (David Tabb) – 12 points
- Titan (Andy Beadsworth) – 17 points
- Phantom (Neil Hegarty) – 24 points
- Sir Ossis of the River (Denis Bergin) – 24 points
- TBD (James Matthews) – 29 points
