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Greystones Dinghy Pair Win GP14 UK National Title With Race to Spare

7th August 2015

With their nearest rivals Flynn & Froggat out of the top four in Race 8, Greystones dinghy duo Shane McCarthy & Andy Thompson became GP14 UK Champions without having to sail the final race at Brixham this afternoon. Scroll down for results.

Today's final two races in the 44-boat fleet were delayed due to light wind.When eventually racing got underway Sutton Dinghy Club's Alan Blay & David Johnston took their 2nd race victory of the event in Race 8.

A 15th in Race 9 for Sutton pair was discarded leaving them in 6th overall in their first UK Nationals. It will be a great night in Brixham YC for the small Irish contingent with 5 race win trophies from the 9 and the not so small matter of a Championship trophy to collect between them.

Following a strong showing at the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta last month, where with 35 boats the GP14 had largest class representation, these results show the Irish GP14 fleet to be ultra competitive also.

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GP14 action from the Brixham based Nationals

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Shane McCarthy gives his victory speech at Brixham

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Sutton Dinghy Club's Alan Blay & David Johnston collect their prizes

 

Published in GP14
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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 2023

  • O'Tiarnaigh (Apr 22-23) Blessington Sailing Club
  • Ulsters (May 20-21) East Antrim Boat Club
  • Munsters (Jun 17-18) Tralee Bay Sailing Club
  • Leinsters (Jul 7-9) Dun Laoghaire Regatta
  • SOYC (Aug 19-20) Rush Sailing Club
  • Nationals (Sep 1-3) Sutton Dinghy Club
  • Hot Toddy (Sep 30-Oct 1) Royal North of Ireland Yacht 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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