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Optimist dinghy sailing at dun Laoghaire Harbour

Irish Optimist Sailing Dinghy News & Regatta Results
Podium finish — Kinsale Yacht Club's Penny Sorensen celebrates third overall in the Regatta Coached Fleet at the 2026 Irish Optimist National Championships
Kinsale Sailors Shine at Irish Optimist Nationals in Cork Kinsale Yacht Club sailors returned with podium finishes and a national team racing title from the 2026 Irish Optimist National Championships, staged at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven from…
Maeve Donagh racing to victory at the 2026 IODAI Optimist National Championships
Maeve Donagh of the Royal St George Yacht Club and Lough Derg Yacht Club has won the Senior title at the 2026 IODAI Optimist National and Open Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club. Donagh completed the Cork Harbour championship with…
Optimist sailors racing inside Cork Harbour during Saturday's Irish National and Open Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club
Maeve Donagh of the Royal St George Yacht Club and Lough Derg Yacht Club has extended her lead in the Senior fleet of the Irish Optimist National and Open Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club after two more races on…
Optimist sailors converge at the finish during Friday racing at the Irish National and Open Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club
Royal St George Yacht Club and Lough Derg Yacht Club sailor Maeve Donagh has taken a one-point lead in the Senior fleet at the Irish Optimist National and Open Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club after three races in a…
Mountain Majesty: Hundreds of Optimists spread across Lake Garda beneath the dramatic cliffs of Garda Trentino as one of the world's largest youth sailing regattas got under way.
Nearly 600 young sailors from 44 nations took to the water on Saturday as the 2026 Ora Cup Ora got underway on Italy's Lake Garda. Hosted by Circolo Vela Arco under the authority of the Italian Sailing Federation, the international…
On Station – Howth Yacht Club's race management team oversees championship racing as competitors contest the 2026 RBC Brewin Dolphin IODAI Leinster Championships off the north Dublin coast.
Howth Yacht Club welcomed Ireland's best young Optimist sailors last weekend for the RBC Brewin Dolphin 2026 IODAI Leinster Championships, hosting a superb weekend of competitive racing. With a fleet of approximately 156 sailors representing clubs from across Ireland, the…
Team Spirit – Kinsale Yacht Club's Optimist sailors, families and supporters gather during the 2026 IODAI Leinster Championships in Howth, where strong performances matched an equally impressive team atmosphere.
Kinsale Yacht Club's Optimist sailors delivered encouraging results at the 2026 IODAI Leinster Championships in Howth, with eight young sailors competing across the Senior, Junior and Regatta fleets. The championship attracted some of Ireland's strongest junior sailors, with 46 competitors…
Ready to Race — Optimist sailors gather around the committee boat during racing at the 2026 Munster Optimist Championships in Dunmore East, where more than 150 young competitors contested the provincial titles.
More than 150 young sailors competed in the 2026 Munster Optimist Championships at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club in Dunmore East on 13–14 June. Competitors and their families enjoyed two days of varied racing conditions, excellent race management and a lively…
Harbour Invitation — Monkstown Bay Sailing Club promotes its 2026 At Home regatta, featuring Optimist and dinghy racing, shoreside hospitality and prizegiving, with online registration required.
Monkstown Bay Sailing Club will host its annual At Home regatta this weekend in Cork Harbour. The event will feature racing for Optimists and dinghy classes, with competitors taking to the water across Saturday's programme. The Optimist fleet will get…
Harbour Hustle — Young sailors compete in Dublin Bay's Junior Friday Series as more than 60 dinghy racers prepare to resume competition after the June Bank Holiday break. Photo: Junior Friday Series.
The Junior Friday series resumes this Friday after a short break during the June bank holiday weekend. Over 60 young dinghy sailors from the waterfront clubs have completed 6 competitive races to date and are looking forward to resuming racing…
Green Shoots — Ireland’s 2026 Optimist Worlds and Europeans teams gather at the National Yacht Club before championship campaigns in Morocco and Poland.
Ireland's top young Optimist sailors have been officially launched for the 2026 World and European Championships following a team presentation at the National Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire. The ceremony took place over the June Bank Holiday weekend and coincided…
Lough Lines — Optimist sailors race on Strangford Lough during the CH Marine Ulster Championships, where 123 competitors opened the 2026 IODAI season across three fleets.
The CH Marine Ulster Championships launched the 2026 IODAI season at Strangford Lough Yacht Club in Whiterock, Co Down, over the weekend. A total of 123 sailors competed across the Senior, Junior and Regatta fleets in a varied weekend of…
Fleet Reborn – A young sailor and parent stand beside a restored Mirror dinghy in Skerries, reflecting the class revival bringing families and a new generation back onto the water.
Life coming full circle is always a moment marked by both happiness and quiet excitement. After spending my youth—and well into my twenties—on the water more than on land, returning to my club years later felt deeply significant. Back then,…
Fleet Focus – Optimist dinghies race in close formation during youth sailing competition, with young helms battling for position in a tightly packed fleet.
Ireland’s top Optimist sailors have been selected for the 2026 international competition following a demanding Youth Nationals at Ballyholme Yacht Club. Strong winds dominated the four-day event, testing both competitors and race officials. Irish Sailing Coach Development Officer Liam Glynn…
Double Act: Double Act: Sean Lemonnier and Killian Matthieu, who finished second in the 420 class at the Irish Sailing Youth Nationals in Ballyholme
The Irish Sailing Foundation Youth Nationals concluded on Sunday, 12 April, after four days of challenging and changeable conditions at Ballyholme Yacht Club in Northern Ireland. Race officials advanced the first warning signal to 10 am on the final day…
Spray And Speed — Young Optimist sailors hike hard in fresh Monkstown Bay breeze during the final Sprint Series leg, where gusty conditions tested balance, control and confidence on the water
Ireland’s young dinghy sailors were tested across a wide range of conditions in the 2026 Optimist Sprint Series, held over three legs in February and March. More than 40 sailors from Senior and Junior Main Fleets competed, with racing hosted…

2026 IODAI Optimist Calendar

  • Sprint Series – February–March: 3 single-day events. Details to follow. (Suitable for seasoned main fleet sailors in winter programmes only)
  • Irish Sailing Youth Nationals, Ballyholme Yacht Club – 9–12 April (Invite only)
  • Junior and Senior Development Squads Training, Lough Ree Yacht Club – 2–4 May Bank Holiday (Squads only)
  • U12 Training, Lough Ree Yacht Club – 2–4 May (Bank Holiday) (Squad only)
  • Ulsters, Strangford Lough Yacht Club – 16–17 May (Open)
  • Munsters, Waterford Harbour Sailing Club – 13–14 June (Open)
  • Leinsters, Howth Yacht Club – 18–19 July (Open)
  • =National Team Racing Champs, Royal Cork Yacht Club – 12 August (Open)
  • National Championships, RCYC – 13–16 August (Open)
  • Connachts, GBSC – 12–13 September (Open)

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