RIYC Hosts Melges 15 Easterns at Dun Laoghaire Cup

22nd May 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Twin Charge - Conn and Ronan Murphy in IRL 1019 sail alongside Jamie Tingle and Roisin Collins in IRL 1023 during Melges 15 training on Dublin Bay

Nineteen teams are set to contest the Melges 15 Eastern Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club this weekend as part of the Dun Laoghaire Cup regatta.

Forecast light winds are expected to test crews across the growing double-handed dinghy fleet on Dublin Bay.

Among the home entries, Royal Irish duo Tim Norwood and Becky Lowney arrive in strong form despite being relative newcomers to the Melges 15 class.

The pair have already emerged as early pace-setters in lighter conditions. Norwood’s asymmetric racing experience in the Feva and 29er classes is combining effectively with Lowney’s Firefly background.

Sunset Sprint Jamie Tingle gives a thumbs-up aboard IRL 1023 during a Melges 15 training session before this weekend’s Eastern Championships at Dun Laoghaire.

The Royal Irish pairing has recorded several light-air race wins this season and will be among the crews to watch off Dún Laoghaire.

Travelling from Ballyholme Yacht Club, Paddy Oliver and Diane Nelson rejoin the fleet after a successful winter campaign in Northern Ireland.

The duo won the PY class in the IceBreaker Series and are expected to feature prominently if the forecast conditions hold.

Family crews are also a strong feature of this year’s championships, with eight family combinations entered for the Easterns fleet.

Bay Breeze Tim Norwood and Becky Lowney of the Royal Irish Yacht Club are among the favourites for this weekend’s Melges 15 Eastern Championships at Dun Laoghaire.

Mike Huang and Scotia Ryer, sailing ‘Boost’, return after securing third place at last year’s Melges 15 Nationals and will be aiming to improve on that result this weekend.

The championships form part of a busy Dun Laoghaire Cup schedule, with racing centred on Dublin Bay throughout the weekend.

Published in Melges 15, Royal Irish Yacht Club

Published in Melges 15

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About the Melges 15 Dinghy

The Melges 15 was designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by Melges.

The design prioritises stability, comfort, ease of use, and performance.

The Melges 15 is built to be sailed by everyone from friends and couples to families and kids. The design offers performance, comfort, and stability in one sleek package.

The Melges 15’s stable hull shape and ergonomic cockpit make it a suitable layout for adult racing and educational sailing. Easy conversion from a club configuration (non-spinnaker) to a one-design setup, provides more versatility to club programs and options for individual owners.

“The Melges 15 creates a clear pathway for junior sailors to get started and stay excited about sailing while also being comfortable and accessible enough for adults to learn, race, or cross-train,” according to Harry Melges III.

With the main design goals focused on stability and performance in various conditions, the boat features a narrow overall beam and a flat cross-section shape for stability, righting moment, and ease of planing. For a more forgiving feel upwind and to navigate larger sea states, the Melges 15 has just the right amount of fore and aft rocker.

Melges conducted extensive research and product testing to produce this layout factoring in cockpit depth, backbone height, and floor plan. The result, they say, is a comfortable environment for both the skipper and crew. The deeper cockpit takes the load off the sailor’s knees helping them feel locked into the boat while the high boom and gnav vang system work together to make the boat easier to manoeuvre.

The asymmetric spinnaker offers an additional performance element, while the single-pull launch and retrieval system makes handling the sail easy and fast.

At a Glance - Melges 15 Specifications

LENGTH 15 ft
BEAM 5 ft 6 in
DRAFT 2 ft 7 in
HULL WEIGHT 230 lbs
SAIL AREA
MAIN 93.6 sq ft
JIB 39.8 sq ft
ASYMMETRICAL SPINNAKER 156 sq ft
CREW 2

At a Glance - Irish Melges 15 class calendar for 2026

April 18–19 – Western Championships, Lough Derg Yacht Club
May 23–24 – Eastern Championships, Royal Irish Yacht Club (as part of Dun Laoghaire Cup)
June 20–21 – Northern Championships, Howth Yacht Club
July 3–5 – European Championships, Riva del Garda, Italy
August 22–23 – Irish National Championships, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dublin Bay
September 19–20 – Sprint Style Event, Royal St. George Yacht Club (16 races targeted)
Winter 2026/2027 – Additional frostbite racing (dates TBC)