GP14 Fleet Heads to Carrickfergus Before World Championship

28th July 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Final Countdown: GP14s stand rigged at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club before crews head to Carrickfergus for the Irish Championship, the final regatta ahead of the GP14 World Championship on Belfast Lough

The build-up to the 2026 GP14 World Championship steps up this weekend with the Irish National Championship at Carrickfergus Sailing Club, the final competitive test before the world's best crews assemble across Belfast Lough.

Many of the Irish and international entries expected to contest the World Championship at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club from 8-14 August are expected to race at Carrickfergus first. The event offers crews a final opportunity to fine-tune boats, teamwork and tactics before the main championship begins.

After the Irish Championship, the fleet will relocate across Belfast Lough to the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, where preparations for one of the largest GP14 World Championships in recent years are entering their final stages.

Volunteers have spent weeks preparing the venue, clearing boat parks, refreshing facilities and completing the infrastructure needed to welcome competitors from Ireland, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and France.

This year's championship will introduce several innovations. Robotic race marks will be used on the race course, while every competing boat will carry a GPS tracker, allowing racing to be followed live online. Action afloat will also be streamed to screens around the yacht club for spectators ashore.

Event Director Gerry Reid said the organisers were looking forward to welcoming competitors from around the world.

"We are really excited and looking forward to welcoming all the competitors from the world of sailing. The racing will be highly competitive, and the social afterwards each day should be full on!"

Royal North Commodore Lindsay Nolan praised the efforts of the club's volunteers.

"Our dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to deliver an exceptional GP14 World Championships, and Royal North looks forward to welcoming competitors and their families from across the globe!"

The World Championship racing begins on Sunday 9 August on Belfast Lough, with racing taking place between the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club and Grey Point.

Published in GP14, Northern Ireland Waters, Belfast Lough

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