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Flying Fifteen sailing on Dublin Bay

Irish Flying Fifteen Class Sailing News
Title Defence: National champions Niall O’Brien and Dermot Flaherty race to retain their Flying Fifteen Championship of Ireland crown at Carrickfergus
Following Cormac Bradley’s report from the 2026 Flying Fifteen Championship of Ireland at Carrickfergus, a second account of the event gives another perspective on the racing and conditions on Belfast Lough. The Irish Flying Fifteen fleet was welcomed to Carrickfergus…
Champions Crowned: Niall O’Brien (left) and Dermot Flaherty collect the Flying Fifteen National Championship of Ireland Trophy at Carrickfergus. Photo: Cormac Bradley
To paraphrase the astute football commentator who told his audience that football was a game of two halves, the Flying Fifteen Nationals, hosted this past weekend by Carrickfergus Sailing Club on the shores of Belfast Lough, could be described as…
Flying Fifteen National Championship of Ireland fleet racing ahead of the 2026 championships at Carrickfergus
Strong winds wiped out the opening day's racing at the Flying Fifteen National Championship of Ireland at Carrickfergus Sailing Club on Friday (4th September), leaving the 20-boat fleet ashore and raising the prospect of a four-race programme on Belfast Lough…
Western winners — Niall O’Brien and Dermot Flaherty (4092) lead the foreground action at the Flying Fifteen Western Championships in Connemara
Local sailors Niall O’Brien and Dermot Flaherty claimed the Flying Fifteen Western Championship after a five-race series hosted by Flying Fifteens Connemara at Rossaveel and Carraroe. The pair, sailing 4092, scored back-to-back wins on Saturday to establish their championship challenge…
Green Machine – Alan Green and Caroline Hanniffy in Flying Fifteen action on Dublin Bay, where the pair are familiar contenders at the head of the DBSC fleet. File photo, 2025
Alan Green and Caroline Hanniffy produced a runaway victory in Thursday evening’s Flying Fifteen DBSC Summer Series race on Dublin Bay, converting an early tactical call into a commanding win over the 16-boat fleet. Another evening of light winds presented…
Series Leader: File photo of Sean Craig, who strengthened his overall lead in the DBSC Flying Fifteen Summer Series with another race victory after a tactical contest in challenging conditions.
Patience on and off the water paid dividends as DBSC's Green Fleet enjoyed another competitive Thursday evening race despite an uncertain start. Race Officer John McNeilly waited for a breeze to fill in after near-calm conditions around the Omega mark…
Facet Finish — Pat Shannon of Facet Jewellers presents the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy to winner Margaret Casey at the National Yacht Club after victory on countback.
A fleet of 14 Flying Fifteens raced the annual Facet Trophy, traditionally held on the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday weekend. Given the time of year and the beckoning of holidays away from the “big smoke” it was a…
Crew's Touch – Stephen Boyle of Sutton Dinghy Club, (left) Afloat.ie’s July Sailor of the Month (Crewing), has excelled across multiple classes, underlining his reputation as one of Ireland’s top racing crews.
GP14 sailor Peter Boyle of Sutton Dinghy Club has a real problem. His father Stephen who regularly crews with him is also one of the most sought-after crews in all Irish sailing. Thus if Boyle Jnr is unable to take…
Big Bay, Small Boats – The DBSC Flying Fifteen fleet races beneath the towering stern of the cruise ship Norwegian Sky during Thursday evening racing on Dublin Bay.
Sean Craig and Stephen Boyle continued their commanding form in the DBSC Flying Fifteen Thursday Series with a sixth victory of the season on 23 July, extending their overall lead after another tactical race on Dublin Bay. Sailing in a…
Close Contest: Flying Fifteens converge on the leeward mark during an evening of close racing on Dublin Bay, where light and shifting winds tested crews across the fleet.
Sean Craig and Stephen Boyle strengthened their lead in the DBSC Flying Fifteen Thursday night series after two contrasting evenings of racing on Dublin Bay. Warm weather and light to moderate winds tested crews across races held on 2 and…
Irish Mark — Emma Pierce and Ian Smyth of Strangford Lough Yacht Club round the weather mark aboard IRL 3892 during the final day of the 2026 UK Flying Fifteen National Championship at Tees & Hartlepool. Photo: Flying Fifteen UK
Irish sailors John Lavery and Alan Green finished fifth overall, while Niall O'Brien and Dermot Flaherty claimed sixth at the 2026 UK Flying Fifteen National Championship after a breezier final day at Tees & Hartlepool Yacht Club. The Irish crews…
East Coast Champion — Niall O'Brien (right) went on to claim the 2026 Irish Flying Fifteen East Coast Championship with crew Dermot Flaherty after a closely fought weekend in Carlingford.
Niall O'Brien and Dermot Flaherty claimed the Irish Flying Fifteen East Coast Championship after a dramatic weekend of racing in Carlingford. The fleet returned to Carlingford for the championship for the first time in many years. Strong south-easterly winds delayed…
Storm Line-Up — Flying Fifteens race beneath darkening skies on Strangford Lough during the Northern Championships, where shifting winds and tactical racing tested crews across the fleet.
The short blast of summer that had provided long sunny days didn’t last until the weekend 30/31 May 2026; however, the predicted rain didn’t materialise, so the fleet of 18 Flying Fifteens enjoyed shifty, tactical, cloudy conditions over two days at…
Top Ted — Michael O’Connor’s Ted secured the SB20 title at the Dun Laoghaire Cup after four race wins in a dominant Royal St George Yacht Club performance.
Consistency and low discard scores proved decisive as the Dun Laoghaire Cup fleets completed their series at the Royal Irish Yacht Club on Sunday. Six races were completed in light to medium southwesterlies in the Dragon, SB20, Flying 15 and…
“Light-Air
For the third Thursday evening of the 2026 DBSC Summer Sailing Season, the Flying Fifteen fleet had another light wind trial! The contrast between the closing Sundays of the DMYC Frostbites which saw three Sundays out of four lost to…
“Spinnaker
The 2026 DBSC Flying Fifteen summer season has opened…………with a very challenging evening of racing on 23rd April! For the past few days Dublin Bay has been characterised by big swells, lots of white horses and rather brown water. However,…

Flying Fifteen - At A Glance

Overall Length 20 ft6.1 m

Waterline Length 15 ft4.6 m

Mast Height 22 ft 6 in6.86 m

Sail Area 150 sq ft14 sqm

Spinnaker Area 140 sq ft13 sqm

Hull Weight 300 lb136 kg

Keel Weight 400 lb169 kg

Minimum Weight 685 lb305 kg

Racing Crew Two

Ideal Crew Range 18 - 28 st145 - 185 kg

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