Kinsale Yacht Club’s Cameron Good has taken a commanding early lead in the Cantor Fitzgerald Irish South Coast Dragon Championships 2026 after winning two of Friday’s opening three races at Kinsale.
Good’s Little Fella (IRL 211), crewed by Simon Furney and Donal Small, opened with a race win before adding a second and another victory for a 1-2-1 scoreline and four points overall.
That gives the Kinsale crew a six-point advantage at the head of the nine-boat fleet after the first day of the three-day championship.
Whisper and Phantom Tied
Daniel Murphy’s Kinsale YC Whisper (IRL 213) is second after scores of 3-1-6. Murphy, sailing with Sean Murphy and Harry Lewis, denied Little Fella a clean sweep by taking victory in Race 2.
Royal St George Yacht Club’s Neil Hegarty and Charlie Bolger are third in Phantom (IRL 225), level with Whisper on 10 points after a consistent 4-3-3 opening day.
Joey Bergin’s Royal Irish Yacht Club Ossis of the River (IRL 161) lies fourth on 12 points after improving through the day with 6-4-2.
James Matthews’ Kinsale YC TBD (IRL 219) is also on 12 points in fifth after a 2-6-4 scoreline.
Edinburgh Cup Winners Miss Kinsale
The nine-boat South Coast fleet is missing some prominent names from Ireland’s recent Edinburgh Cup challenge at Cowes.
Martin Byrne’s Jaguar Sailing Team, which won the Edinburgh Cup Corinthian title on countback in August, is not competing in Kinsale. Byrne told Afloat after the Cowes victory that Jaguar was moving directly to Cannes for September’s Régates Royales before heading to Hong Kong for the Dragon World Championships in November.
Denis Bergin is also absent from the Kinsale entry list after the Bergin campaign aboard Sir Ossis of the River finished fifth Corinthian at the Edinburgh Cup. Joey Bergin, however, is racing this weekend as helm of Ossis of the River. The Bergin boat had been particularly competitive in Cowes’ heavier conditions before dropping places on the lighter final day.
Irish South Coast Dragon Championships 2026 at Kinsale Yacht Club Photo Gallery By Bob Bateman
Six-Race Championship
The Irish South Coast Championship is organised by Kinsale Yacht Club in conjunction with the Irish Dragon Association and runs until Sunday, September 13th.
Six races were originally scheduled across the three days, although the Sailing Instructions allow one additional race per day.
Three races are required to constitute the championship. With Friday’s three races already completed, the series is therefore constituted, while a discard comes into play once four races have been sailed.
