Melges 15 Northern Championship Draws 17 Boats to Howth

20th June 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Pink Charge — A Melges 15 crew powers downwind under a bright pink asymmetric spinnaker ahead of this weekend's Northern Championship at Howth Yacht Club, where 17 teams will contest seven scheduled races Credit: Morgan Kinney

The Melges 15 fleet returns to Howth Yacht Club this weekend for the class Northern Championship, with 17 teams set to contest the latest regional event of the 2026 season. Medium to light winds are forecast off the Fingal coast, conditions expected to produce close and tactical racing across the growing fleet.

Jack Fahy and Henry Higgins start as favourites after winning the first two regional championships of the year. The pair will be aiming to extend their strong run of form in what is expected to be a tightly fought regatta.

Family rivalries will add an extra dimension to the competition. The Farrelly family is represented across three different boats, with Cormac, Fiachra and Aoibhin Farrelly each taking to the water in separate entries. The Fowler family has adopted a similar approach, with brothers Toby and Andrew Fowler skippering different boats.

New faces will also join the fleet. Conor O'Toole of the Royal Irish Yacht Club and Brian Kennedy of the Royal St George Yacht Club make their regional championship debuts and will be looking to make an early impression.

Race Officer Richard Kissane and his team are targeting seven races over the weekend. However, organisers will be monitoring Sunday's forecast closely, with lighter winds predicted for the final day of competition.

With a strong entry list, experienced front-runners and several emerging contenders, the Melges 15 Northern Championship promises another competitive weekend of one-design racing on Dublin Bay.

Published in Melges 15, Howth YC, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dublin Bay

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)