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GP14 Racing Abandoned at Rosses Point in Sligo

19th September 2026
Flags Flying: Postponement signals fly ashore at Sligo Yacht Club after Saturday's GP14 Autumn Open and Youth Championship racing was abandoned at Rosses Point
Flags Flying — Postponement signals fly ashore at Sligo Yacht Club after Saturday's GP14 Autumn Open and Youth Championship racing was abandoned at Rosses Point Credit: GP14 Class

Racing was abandoned at Rosses Point on Saturday (19 September) on the opening day of the GP14 Autumn Open and Youth Championships at Sligo Yacht Club.

The two-day event had been scheduled to begin with two Autumn Open races from noon, followed by two races for the Youth Championship.

With Saturday's programme lost, organisers have issued an amendment to Sunday's schedule in an effort to get racing under way earlier.

The Youth Championship will now take priority, with the first warning signal scheduled for 10am on Sunday (20 September), followed by Race 2 back-to-back.

The Autumn Open is scheduled to start after the final Youth Championship race, with its second race to follow back-to-back.

Three Youth Races Possible

The Race Committee has also indicated that it may attempt to sail three Youth Championship races on Sunday.

Under the sailing instructions, one additional race may be sailed on either day. If a third race is to be held, Numeral Pennant 3 will be displayed during the finish of the final scheduled race.

The event comprises the GP14 Class Association of Ireland Autumn Open and Youth Championships, with racing taking place in the waters between Rosses Point and Raghly Point, west of Sligo Yacht Club.

Published in GP14, Youth Sailing
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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

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