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GP14 dinghy sailing
Irish GP14 Dinghy Sailing News and Regatta Results
The top performing Irish Fleet crew in Abersoch last week were Peter & Stephen Boyle. Apart from taking top Youth Helm, the Family Trophy and being part of the victorious Sutton Dinghy Club Club Trophy winning combination, Peter & Stephen finished 7th and won the Silver Fleet. An exceptional event for Peter and if the winds blow in Skerries, this pair should be well to the fore
Peter and Stephen Boyle, the top ranked GP14 Irish pair are back in action on home waters this weekend when the Championship of Ireland kicks off this Friday in Skerries Sailing Club. This will be the first year where the…
The GP14 Sutton Dinghy Club sailors celebrate in Abersoch last night
Sutton Dinghy Club took a haul of awards at last night's GP14 UK National Championships prizegiving in Abersoch including winners of the Club Trophy and with Peter and Stephen Boyle taking quite a few - seventh overall, Top Youth Helm,…
 GP14 leaders in Abersoch Sam Watson & Andy Thompson (East Antrim)
While there was again an early start planned at the GP14 UK National Championships at Abersoch with the First Start Gun scheduled for 10:30, the wind had other ideas and the fleet was kept ashore. Racing cannot start unless there is…
GP14s racing at Abersoch
After two second place finishes yesterday, Sam Watson and Andy Thompson are still holding first place overall at the GP14 UK Nationals in Abersoch North Wales writes Andy Johnson. Jim Hunt and Liz Senior are in second, however conditions today…
Racing in Abersoch has been postponed
Racing today at the GP14 UK National Championships at Abersoch in North Wales has been postponed due to strong winds. Southwest winds are gusting to over 35 knots at the South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club venue. Races 4,5 and 6 for…
GP14 International President - Curly Morris of East Antrim Boat Club
Curly Morris of East Antrim Boat Club in Larne has been elected as President of the International GP14 Class. The Class AGM held in Abersoch last night voted for the GP14 Ireland stalwart during its 2019 national championships, a year…
GP14s converge at a weather mark on day two of the national championships in Abersoch
Sutton Dinghy Club father and son pairing Peter and Stephen Boyle had a very good second day at the GP14 UK National Championships in Abersoch to be top Irish boat in 14th place writes Andrew Johnston. The Boyles had just competed…
The GP14 UK Nationals are being held by South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club in Abersoch, North Wales
The GP14 UK Nationals kicked off yesterday with a practice race and the first of 9 races at South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club in Abersoch, North Wales writes Andrew Johnston.  With 10 Irish crews in the 56-boat fleet, hopes are high for…
GP14s start a race at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta
There was another race win for Sam Watson and Andy Thompson in The GP14 Leinster Championships being staged as part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. The result puts the lead pairing 13-points clear of Donegal's  John and Donal McGuinness after…
Watson and Thompson have a point to prove on Dublin Bay this weekend
In a year of dream team reunions - think Spice Girls and Westlife -  the one featuring Sam Watson and Andy Thompson is perhaps best placed to reach new heights this weekend.  The Nantwich and East Antrim pairing were tipped…
Great sailing conditions at Cullaun Sailing Club for the GP14 Munsters
Cullaun Sailing Club, Co Clare, hosted the Irish GP14 fleet for what turned out to be the 1st event of the year following the postponement of the Mullingar event in April. Competitors travelled from the 4 corners of Ireland with…
Wicklow sailor Shane MacCarthy (left) was third overall in the Spring Solo event in Medemblik
Greystones Solo dinghy sailor Shane MacCarthy took third overall in the Spring Cup OK Solo 2019 in Holland last weekend. GP14 world champion Shane MacCarthy is known for his exploits across a number of sailing classes, including the Fireball dinghy, but perhaps less known is his Solo…
GP14s Cancelled at Mullingar Sailing Club
This weekend's GP14 event at Mullingar Sailing Club has been cancelled due to Storm Hannah. The Class Association are working with Mullingar Sailing Club to arrange an alternative weekend to run the event. The Committee had looked at moving to…
Close-fought GP 14 action on Lough Owel at Mullingar. The class starts its national programme at this central location on April 27th-28th
The keenly-run GP14 Ireland Association starts its national season in the final weekend of April (27th & 28th) in the central location of Lough Owel at Mullingar Sailing Club with the prestigious O’Tiarnaigh Trophy championship writes W M Nixon. The…
A Class One start at the 2017 Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Dublin Bay
With three months to go to the first gun off Dun Laoghaire’s famous harbour, 410 boats are already entered — and more than half the entries are visiting craft to Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2019. It is an early-season marine…
The eternally youthful Curly Morris
Curly Morris of East Antrim Boat Club in Larne has sailed in a number of boats over a long period, but the GP 14 has always been the love of his life writes W M Nixon. And in the GP…

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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