When Nick Massey was reassembling all the boats to the Howth Seventeen design of October 1897 back to designer W H Boyd's home port of Howth in the early 1970s, he found Deilginis (no 11) in 1972 in the corner of a forgotten field in Dolphin's Barn in southwest Dublin. She was almost unrecognisable, as her last known owner had re-purposed her for use as a fishing boat, and Stockholm tar had been liberally used to keep her afloat and protect the decks.
It's Test Time. Ian Malcolm's 1898-built Aura has recently been undergoing a major refit with Steve Morris at Kilrush Boatyard. Photo: Neil Murphy
It was a cruel comedown for a once-renowned classic yacht, as her commissioning owner in 1907 had been Dr W M A Wright, a pillar of Dublin Bay Sailing Club. And Deilginis – built by James Kelly of Portrush - was the first of a batch of new boats for Dun Laoghaire which – being the hub of the known sailing universe - immediately called them the Dublin Bay 17 class.
SLOW-TOLLING DEATH KNELL
But the advent of the new Glen Class in Dublin Bay in the 1950s marked the slow-tolling death knell of the Seventeens in Dun Laoghaire. However, as Howth was only a small sailing place in those days, there weren't the people and resource to snap up all the newly-available Seventeens and bring them home. But miraculously all survived, albeit sometimes – as in the extreme case of Deilginis – in very reduced circumstances.
The Lynch family's Echo powering to windward. Photo: Neil Murphy
Howth's resources still being very limited, transport homewards for Deilginis from Dolphin's Barn was with an ancient steel-wheeled boatyard trailer, such that family and friends were called in to pour water in a continuous stream on the wheels as they became red-hot in squeaking and squealing their way across town. But they got there, though no-one can remember whether the tow vehicle ever recovered.
DRIED PLANKING, OPEN SEAMS
It was many years since Deilginis had been afloat, but with a determined work-force she was soon restored to a vague resemblance to a Howth 17, and it was reckoned the best way to close the opened seams in the dried planking was to get her afloat.
Erica (Davie Nixon) takes the lead ahead of Sheila (Dave Mulligan) and Leila (Roddy Cooper). Photo: Neil Murphy
For the first night, Nick Massey had to pump her throughout the night to keep her afloat. But the old planking was very slow to take up, so she was subsequently let sit underwater on the seabed for a day or two while nature worked her wonders, and by the time the class's 75th Anniversary Regatta was sailed late in the season of 1972, she was fit enough to race against such legends as Norman Wilkinson in Leila, Anthony Gore-Grimes in Hera, and Cyril Geran in Silver Moon.
Deilginis has been owned and run by a syndicate based around the Massey family ever since, and the current management is Massey brothers and cousins plus Mikey Toomey and Keith Kenny, who are two formidable helmsmen in their own right. And as Keith Kenny happens to be the brother-in-law of Johnny Mordaunt of Volvo 70 Tschuss 2 fame, there's now some added stardust attached to the ex-fishing boat.
Conor & Brian Turvey's Isobel was equal second in Scratch, but slipped to third on the tie-break. Photo: Neil Murphy
CLASSIC TEAK DECK
Not that it's really needed, as she has been transformed by such niceties as a classic teak deck fitted by Rui Ferriera of Ballydehob in West Cork a dozen years ago. But despite carrying the extra weight of this ornamental lumber, Deilginis seems faster than ever, and at the weekend she added the Howth 17 National Champion 2025 to her impressive list of trophies won over the years.
In theory it's a weekend event pumped out by a Friday evening race. But as Saturday night sees the championship dinner, the Race Officer (in this case Neil Murphy) is under some pressure to push the programme to a conclusion on Saturday evening, and consequently the fleet had a total of four races taking in everything from fairly gentle sailing to what felt at times like racing in a Mistral.
Saturday afternoon perfection off Howth. Dave Mulligan's Sheila at hull speed in the warm strong breeze. She was built by Charlie Featherstone near Avoca in County Wicklow. Photo: Neil Murphy
NO TOPSAILS
In fact, Saturday's conditions were such, with a brisk westerly from the get-go, that no-one went out with the class's distinctive jackyard topsails set, and when the wind was at its peak the spinnaker was a decidedly hairy option.
Class Captain Daisy O'Shea (left) presenting many prizes to Luke Massey of Deilginis. Photo: Howth 17 Assoc..
But light winds or strong, Deilginis was on top form to take three wins out of four, with defending champion Erica (Davie Nixon) only managing to topple the Syndicate from the bullet in Saturday's second race.
Roddy Cooper of Leila (left) wins the HPH Division awards. Photo: Howth 17 Assoc.
Deiliginis was going so well that she even managed to get on the podium in the HPH rankings, placing third to Roddie Cooper's winning Leila and Susan Morgan's second-placed Silvermoon, while in Scratch it was Deiliginis on 3pts, with Erica and Isobel (Conor & Brian Turvey) tying on 9 pts, and Erica taking it on the tie break.
