Irish Optimist Sailing Dinghy News & Regatta Results
The line-up for the 2026 Irish Sailing Junior Champions’ Cup has been announced, with 16 of Ireland’s leading junior sailors invited to compete at the Fastnet Marine Outdoor Education Centre (FMOEC), Schull, West Cork this weekend. The two-day competition brings…
Nearly 180 Sailors Show Strength of Irish Optimist Pathway at Royal Cork
14th September 2026 Optimist
Nearly 180 young sailors competed across four fleets at the 2026 IODAI Optimist National & Open Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club, highlighting the scale of the pathway bringing newcomers into Irish dinghy racing. As Afloat reported as the championship…
We regret to record the death of Johnny Hooper of the National Yacht Club and Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, who for many decades was in the forefront of Irish sailing performance and boat class development. The son…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
Howth Yacht Club Hosts Thrilling RBC Brewin Dolphin Leinster Optimist Championships
23rd July 2026 Optimist
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
