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Irish J80 Sailboat News & Regatta Results
The Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School is preparing for the arrival of a new fleet of eight J80 keelboats
The Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School is preparing for the arrival of eight J80 keelboats in January, growing capacity for training, group events and competition. After carefully reviewing the requirements for the next phase of sail training, the team…
Mixed J Boats IRC class start at the J Cup UK in 2022
Key Yachting is pleased to announce that the inaugural J Cup Ireland will take place from 26th to 27th of August at the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, on Dublin Bay. The J/Cup Regatta is a highly successful event…
Pat O’Neill (second left) and his Bronze-winning crew-members at Newport Rhode Island
Pat O’Neill of Howth and his Mojo J/80 team are well known for their success in major events across Europe. But taking on the J/80 Worlds in the class heartlands at Newport, Rhode Island was a challenge which raised the…
Pat O'Neill of Howth YC and his team on the J80 world championships podium. See vid below.
When bad weather hampered the final stages of preparation for the J/80 Worlds at Newport, Rhode Island last week, the pessimists wondered if it was stretching things too far, in an Autumn of unsettled weather, to have racing scheduled right…
Close racing, improving weather - first-class competition and conditions for the J80 Worlds, which concluded last night at Newport, Rhode Island with Ireland on the podium
As reported in Afloat.ie, the showing by Pat O'Neill and his Howth crew in the J/80 Worlds at Newport, Rhode Island during the past five days seemed to be improving in tandem with the improvement with the weather, and having…
One of this week's better sailing days for the J/80 Worlds 2022 at Newport
Pat O'Neill of Howth is a seasoned international campaigner with his championship crew in the J/80 fleet. But until now, most of his successes overseas have been achieved on the European circuit. This week, however, Team O'Neill have made the…
The mixed DBSC cruiser fleet racing from the West Pier starters hut at Dun Laoghaire Harbour
Overall Sportboat division leader Jonathan Craig's J80 George 7 won last Tuesday night's DBSC AIB race on Dublin Bay.  Winds were six knots from the southeast, giving a spinnaker start for the mixed cruiser fleet from the DBSC Hut on the…
After a three-year pandemic lay-off, the IUSA Keelboat Nats come back to colourful life in the club-owned J/80s at Howth
The last weekend of March in Ireland is usually not noted for an almost-dangerous amount of highly-radiated sunshine and light breezes. But Race Officer Scorie Walls had to cope with both at Howth in putting through the full 18-race programme…
The Beneteau First 21 class will race for National Championship honours as part of the RIYC's Dun Laoghaire Cup in May
The Royal Irish Yacht Club will host a four-class Dun Laoghaire Cup for sportsboats in May with racing for 1720, SB20, J80 and Beneteau First 21 classes.  The 1720 East Coast Championship, the J80 East Coast Championship and First 21 National…
Alan McClernon's Jezebel from Carrickfergus SC competing at the East Antrim Boat Club Regatta Weekend
Despite a smaller than usual turnout at Larne last weekend for the East Antrim Boat Club Regatta, racing was keen, and on Saturday, the fleet enjoyed perfect conditions, with the breeze picking up for the second race on the Sunday.…
Irish success in Denmark. The J80 Danish Champions are (from left) North Sails sailmaker Shane Hughes, Ryan Glynn, Pat O'Neill and Jakob Nybo
Pat O'Neill with a Howth Yacht Club crew and a local foredeck man has won the Danish J80 Championships at the Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub this afternoon. The sole lrish competitors in the 23-boat fleet sailing 'Mojo' ended the eight-race series with…
File image from the 2019 Women at the Helm regatta
Women on the Water J80 crews are back in action in Dun Laoghaire from tomorrow, Tuesday 25 May, the National Yacht Club has announced. Sailing will be on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons, in two series of one…
The J80 National Championships will race at Howth Yacht Club this October
The J80 National Championships returns this autumn to Howth Yacht Club. A fleet of 14 boats contested the 2020 Championships at Dun Laoghaire with Howth's Pat O'Neill emerging as Irish Champion. Previously the fledgeling championships sailed at Howth in 2019 and 2018…
File image of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour
The National Yacht Club is seeking expressions of interest from all members aged 16 to 25, regardless of class or experience, in the prospect of forming an U25 J80 squad. The rough plan is for a five-person team (with one…
Winning MoJo team (L-R) Conor Cleary, Aaron Jones, Pat O’Neill, Shane Hughes
With the current Covid restrictions and other protocols in place, credit must be given primarily to the RstGYC, Jonny O'Dowd and the Irish J80 class for putting the event together and running it in compliance with these regulations. A fleet…
J80s contesting National honours on Dublin Bay
Howth's Patrick O' Neill and the crew of Mojo were crowned J80 Irish National Champions at the Royal St. George Yacht Club this afternoon after a closely fought seven-race series on Dublin Bay.  14 boats competed from four different Dublin…

About J/80 Sailing

Easy to handle the J/80 is said to be less intimidating, safer and better suited for sailing offshore than other modern sport boats. 

It even has a full-length V-berth and 12-foot-long cockpit.

Thanks to its combination of stability, speed, durability, low maintenance and age-friendly deck layout, the J/80 has proved to be a great club boat around Irish yacht clubs with fleets popular in Dublin on both sides of the Bay at Howth and Dun Laoghaire. 

The key to a racing keelboat is that it holds the attention and interest of many types of sailors, young and old.  The J80 does it all, with thrilling 15-knot rides under spinnaker or relaxed sunset cruises with mainsail only. 

The Irish J/80 Class Association was formed in 2017 to represent owners, sailors, associated clubs and to help develop J/80 racing in Ireland.