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GP14 Hot Toddy Regatta at Mullingar Cancelled This Weekend

15th October 2026
GP14 dinghies racing under colourful spinnakers at the 2026 World Championships on Belfast Lough
Change of Plans – The GP14 Hot Toddy regatta at Mullingar Sailing Club, scheduled for 17–18 October, has been cancelled. Pictured is racing at the 2026 GP14 World Championships, hosted by Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough Credit: Bradley Quinn

The GP14 Class Association of Ireland has confirmed the cancellation of this weekend's Hot Toddy regatta at Mullingar Sailing Club, with plans to rearrange the event early next season.

The GP14 Hot Toddy regatta, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, 17–18 October, at Mullingar Sailing Club on Lough Owel, has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances affecting the host club.

The GP14 Class Association of Ireland confirmed the decision on Wednesday, apologising to the 25 competitors who had planned to travel to Mullingar for the two-day event.

The cancellation follows a bereavement within the club, leaving organisers unable to proceed with the planned weekend programme.

Six-Race Programme Cancelled

The Hot Toddy was scheduled to feature six races over the weekend, with the first warning signal planned for noon on Saturday and racing continuing on Sunday.

The event was also due to include the presentation of the GP14 Association's perpetual Hot Toddy trophy to the overall winners.

New Date Sought for 2027

The GP14 Class Association committee intends to explore the possibility of rearranging the regatta for early next season.

The class's Annual General Meeting, which was due to take place during the weekend, will instead be organised via Zoom over the coming weeks.

No revised dates have yet been confirmed.

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 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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