GP14 Leinster Championships Dominated by Owens and Morris at Greystones

25th July 2025

Afloat.ie Team

2025 GP14 Leinster champions Ger Owens and Mel Morris

The GP14 Ireland class decided to take a break from linking in with the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, where, on alternate years, the GP14 Leinster Championship has been run since 2017. The 2025 GP14 Leinsters took place last weekend at Greystones Sailing Club. There had been some concern as to the impact this change might have on numbers, as many of the fleet enjoy sailing in other classes and types of boats.

We needn't have worried too much as 31 GP14s made it to the Greystones start line. Leading into the event, the form team this season was Team Gringles having won the Munster Championship recently in Cullaun. However, with Colman Grimes & Ross Gingles unavailable, the focus was on other form crews such as Keith & Matteo Louden, Alan Blay & Hugh McNally, Paddy O'Connor & Richard Street. Also in the mix are Ger Owens & Mel Morris, who missed Cullaun.

Denis Cully and Matthew Street round a windward mark at the 2025 GP14 Leinster Championships off Greystones

An interesting aside is that 14302, recently home-built by Kevin Donnelly in Antrim Boat Club and based on the Ginger Boat moulds, will be racing for the first time. Kevin has done a remarkable job and the finish is magnificent. Kevin has been able to tap into the experience and support of GP14 guru Alistair Duffin as well as GP14 technical expertise from across the International fleet.
The GP14 Leinster Championship made a long-awaited return to Greystones Sailing Club on the 12th and 13th of July, with 31 boats representing 16 clubs from across Ireland. This marked the first GP14 event hosted at the club since 2012, and it was greeted by glorious sunshine and warm temperatures as forecasted by Met Éireann.

Saturday: Sun-Soaked but Windless

Saturday morning saw Race Officer Jim Lambkin and his experienced team, including GP14 Ireland Class President Andy Johnston, head out in search of wind suitable for racing. At 12:30, the call was made for the fleet to proceed to the course area, and a line was laid in anticipation. However, a general recall at the first start, followed by a complete drop in wind, resulted in the race being abandoned. Despite a three-hour wait on the water, conditions remained unchanged. The day ended with sailors enjoying the sunshine—albeit without a single race completed.

Downwnd at the 2025 GP14 Leinster Championships off Greystones

Sunday: Light Winds Deliver Close Racing

With everything to play for on Sunday, the fleet watched the morning flags with cautious optimism. Thankfully, by mid-morning, conditions improved just enough for racing to get underway. Jim Lambkin and his team expertly managed to complete three races in light fickle winds and strong tides, before the breeze faded once again.

Competition was tight across the board, but it was Ger Owens and Melanie Morris who delivered a masterclass, winning all three races to take the Leinster Cup dominantly.

Keith and Mateo Louden from Lough Foyle Sailing Club secured second place overall, while local sailor Rob Lee and Stephen Lynch had a strong third-place finish. Special mention to overall fourth place Peter Brines and Leah Pedersen (LEYC), who are currently bronze fleet sailors, though maybe not for much longer.

Fleet Breakdown and Racing Spirit

The event saw great participation across all fleet levels: 11 entries in Gold, 4 in Silver, and an impressive 16 in Bronze. Racing was close throughout the day, with narrow margins separating the front and back of the fleet—highlighting the depth of talent and competitiveness on display.

Though Saturday may have lacked wind, the event overall was a great success, combining high-quality racing, a fantastic atmosphere, and superb summer weather.

Results by Fleet

Gold Fleet
1st place Ger Owens and Melanie Morris
2nd place Keith Louden and Mateo Louden
3rd place Rob Lee and Stephen Lynch

Silver Fleet
1st place Simon Cully and Libby Tierney
2nd place Neil Willis and Peter Sloan
3rd place Alan Pinder and John Zumerchik

Bronze Fleet
1st place Peter Brines and Leah Pedersen
2nd place Denis Cully and Matthew Street
3rd place Riaghan Boardman and Maedbh Butterly

1st Youth Boat Peter Brines and Leah Pedersen
1st Junior Boat Riaghan Boardman and Maedbh Butterly

Overall results below

Race Results

You may need to scroll vertically and horizontally within the box to view the full results

Published in GP14, Greystones Harbour

Published in GP14

Tagged under

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 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