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GP14 dinghy sailing
Irish GP14 Dinghy Sailing News and Regatta Results
Prize Moment: Commodore Lindsay Nolan presents GP14 O’Tiarnaigh Challenge winners Ross Kearney and Daniel Nelson with the trophy at RNIYC, Cultra
The GP14 O’Tiarnaigh Challenge held at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club in Cultra on the 25th and 26th April provided an excellent opportunity for the class to get used to the waters in which the World Championship will be…
“Lough
Belfast Lough will host more than 100 boats this August as the GP14 World Championships 2026 arrives in Northern Ireland. The week-long regatta runs from 8–14 August and is hosted by Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, with support from…
Spring Start: GP14 sailors launch the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Spring Series in a lively southerly breeze, with 15 boats racing short windward–leeward courses in the opening event of the 2026 season.
The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club launched its annual GP14 Spring Series on 8 March in bright sunshine and a lively southerly breeze. Fifteen boats sailed out to the race area in winds of 12 to 17 knots, creating…
Island Finale — ILCA sailors round Ireland’s Eye during Howth Yacht Club’s annual Round the Island Race, the traditional finale to the winter Frostbite Series.
Winter sailing at Howth Yacht Club came to a close on Saturday 7th March when dinghy sailors gathered for the annual Round the Island Race, followed by the Frostbite Series lunch and prizegiving. Bolstered by a promising weather forecast, there…
Early entries surge for GP14 Worlds 2026 at Royal North, with 90 boats confirmed to race on Belfast Lough from 8–14 August.
The 2026 GP14 World Championships are already nearing full capacity just days after entries opened. Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club will host the prestigious event on Belfast Lough from 8–14 August 2026. Ninety boats have registered following last Friday’s…
“A
A strong fleet of 74 boats has already pre-entered for the 2026 GP14 World Championship, set to be held at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club (RNIYC) from 8–14 August. Hosted in partnership with the International GP14 Class Association,…
Alastair Duffin leaves the historic Manderson Street yard after a century of family tradition, relocating his renowned boatbuilding to a new home workshop.
Duffin Marine has left its long-standing premises on Manderson Street in Belfast after more than a century of family boatbuilding. Gillian Duffin said on Facebook that “the last of the machinery was removed from our family premises” as the site…
Ger Owens (right) and Ross Killian of Wicklow Sailing Club and National YC claimed first place at the Irish Dinghy Champions’ Cup in Crosshaven after four races in testing conditions.
GP14 duo Ger Owens and Ross Killian have won the Irish Sailing Dinghy Champions’ Cup at Royal Cork Yacht Club after a three-way points tie-breaking victory. The pair finished first overall after four races, with scores of 1, 6, 4, and 1. Their…
“Sam
Racing at the GP14 Autumn Open in Blessington was abandoned on Sunday (September 14th) due to storms after three races were completed. As Afloat reported earlier, Sam Street and Josh Lloyd won overall with five points, following two firsts and…
“Adam
Adam and Emily Torrens have been crowned champions at the GP14 Youth Nationals in Blessington Sailing Club. Sailing Kokomo, the pair scored a second and a first to finish with three points, securing the overall title in a fleet of…
“Sam
Local Sam Street holds a narrow lead at the GP14 Autumn Open in Blessington Sailing Club, County Wicklow, after the opening rounds in breezy south-westerly winds. Street tops the table in the 20-boat fleet, just ahead of Rob Lee, with recently crowned national…
“Pat

Pat Murphy RIP

13th September 2025 W M Nixon
Pat Murphy, in his prime, was a tower of strength, a force of nature. Those who knew him in his frail latter years as he heroically battled long and bravely with terminal illness can only have guessed what it was…
Pat Murphy pictured with his wife, Olivia, aboard Aldebaran off Howth prior to their departure on a round the world voyage in 1999. The GP14 champion, marine industry advocate and Asgard promoter inspired sailors and audiences with a lifetime on the water.
Howth Yacht Club's Pat Murphy, one of Ireland’s best-known racing and cruising sailors, has died. He was a GP14 champion in the 1970s and 1980s with Kilbarrack SC and later Clontarf Y&BC. He remained active in the class for decades.…
“The
Rush Sailing Club hosted the 2025 GP14 Irish Nationals from 22–24 August, attracting 42 entries and 41 boats on the water, being the biggest showing for the 'geeps' in the UK and Ireland this year. The three-day regatta delivered a…
“Part
Ger Owens and Melanie Morris have been crowned GP14 Irish National Champions after three days of racing at Rush Sailing Club, in which the Wicklow-East Antrim duo led from start to finish. The pair, winners of three races, finished with…
“Owens
Ger Owens and Melanie Morris lead the GP14 Irish National Championships after six races sailed in light to medium winds at Rush Sailing Club off the North Dublin coast. The Wicklow SC pair, who have led since Friday's first races, posted…

The GP14 is a popular sailing dinghy, with well over 14,000 boats built.

The class is active in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and parts of north-eastern USA, and the GP14 can be used for both racing and cruising. 

Designed by Jack Holt in 1949, with the assistance of the Dovey Yacht Club in Aberdyfi. The idea behind the design was to build a General Purpose (GP) 14-foot dinghy which could be sailed or rowed, capable of also being powered effectively by a small outboard motor, able to be towed behind a small family car and able to be launched and recovered reasonably easily, and stable enough to be able to lie to moorings or anchor when required. Racing soon followed, initially with some degree of opposition from Yachting World, who had commissioned the design, and the boat soon turned out to be an outstanding racing design also.

The boat was initially designed with a main and small jib as a comfortable family dinghy. In a design philosophy that is both practical and highly redolent of social attitudes of the day the intention was that she should accommodate a family comprising parents plus two children, and specifically that the jib should be modest enough for "Mum" or older children to handle, while she should perform well enough to give "Dad" some excitement when not taking the family out. While this rig is still available, and can be useful when using the boat to teach sailing, or for family sailing, and has some popularity for cruising, the boat is more commonly seen with the full modern rig of a mainsail, genoa and spinnaker. Australian boats also routinely use trapezes.

GP14 Ireland Event Dates 2026

  • April 25–26 — O’Tiarnaigh Trophy, Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club
  • May 9–10 — Munster Championship, Cullaun Sailing Club
  • June 6–7 — Ulster Championship, County Antrim Boat Club
  • June 11–14 — UK Nationals, Llandudno Sailing Club
  • July 4–5 — Leinster Championship, Howth Yacht Club
  • August 1–2 — Championship of Ireland, Carrickfergus Sailing Club
  • August 8–14 — GP14 World Championships
  • September 19–20 — Autumn Open / Youth Championship, Sligo Yacht Club
  • October 17–18 — Hot Toddy, Mullingar Sailing Club

 

At A Glance – GP14 Dinghy Specifications

Crew 2
Draft 1,200 mm (47 in)
Hull weight 132.9 kg
LOA 4.27 m (14 ft)
Beam 1.54 m
Spinnaker area 8.4 m2
Upwind sail area 12.85 m2

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