Irish Optimist Sailing Dinghy News & Regatta Results
RStGYC Expect 100 Boats as Dun Laoghaire Counts Down to Optimist National Training Week 2024
3rd October 2024 Optimist
The upcoming National Training Week (NTW) at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is expected to have over 100 boats participating. Often referred to as "Cork Week for kids," NTW is an event where young sailors in…
160 Sailors Compete at the IODAI Leinsters at Malahide Yacht Club Finale
10th September 2024 Optimist
The 2024 Optimist dinghy season concluded with the IODAI Leinster Championships at Malahide Yacht Club. A strong fleet from around the country saw 160 enthusiastic sailors competing across four different fleets, making it one of the standout events of the…
They say lightning never strikes twice—not so true. Thirty years after her father, David Crosbie, won the Optimist Irish National Championship for the second time in 1994, Charlotte Crosbie won the same title and lifted the same trophy at Howth…
Entries are now open for the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Championships taking place at Strangford Lough Yacht Club on the weekend of 7-8 September. Eight fleets will be racing including Optimists, Toppers, ILCAs, RS Fevas and a regatta fleet, and…
Victory for Max O'Hare as 121 Optimists Make Western Championships Biggest-Ever Regatta for Galway Bay Sailing Club
25th July 2024 Optimist
'Let's go sailing way out west' went up the cry, and with that, 121 young sailors and their families travelling from all over Ireland headed to Galway Bay for the IODAI Optimist Connaught Championships 2024. Such was the flawless programme…
Intense Optimist Competition at Royal Cork and High Expectations at Upcoming IODAI Sailing Championships
19th June 2024 Optimist
The 122-boat IODAI Optimist Munsters at Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) last weekend provided great practice for the Irish European teams competing at events in Carrara, Italy, and Monfalcone, Italy, this July and the International Development Team preparing for the…
Royal St. George Youth Sailors Fill the Optimist Senior Podium at Royal Cork Hosted Munster Championships (Photo Galleries)
17th June 2024 Optimist
Royal St. George's Max O'Hare (14) emerged as the winner of the senior fleet in a cut-short Optimist dinghy Munsters Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club over the weekend. No racing was held on Saturday due to high winds in…
The Oppie circuit was in full swing last weekend as East Antrim Boat Club hosted almost 100 sailors and their families for the Ulster Championships. The next day, as the sun shone and the craic started to build, the main…
National Yacht Club Junior Sailors Make Great Start to the Dinghy Racing Season
15th May 2024 National YC
After a frustrating May Bank Holiday weekend and the absence of wind that led to the cancellation of the Feva East Coast championships, the various host yacht clubs around the country were rewarded with great conditions last weekend. The Optimist…
Last weekend, Lough Ree Yacht Club hosted young Optimist sailors from clubs all over Ireland for their annual Development Squad training session. The session was led by Head Coach Dara O’Shea from Cork and under the guidance of IODAI Training…
The anticipation had been building for weeks, and as a group of 39 of the country's more experienced Optimist sailors headed for the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven from April 4th to 7th, excited at the prospect of four…
Storm Kathleen Concludes 2024 Irish Sailing Youth Nationals Early in Cork Harbour
6th April 2024 Youth Sailing
Not many were surprised when the Irish Sailing Youth National Championships, which have been taking place at the Royal Cork Yacht Club since Thursday, concluded early due to the landing of Storm Kathleen and a deteriorating forecast for the following…
Over 170 Young Sailors Compete in Ireland's Largest Youth Regatta in Cork Harbour
4th April 2024 Youth Sailing
Over 170 young sailors are set to compete in Ireland’s largest youth regatta, which starts today, April 4th at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour. The 2024 Irish Sailing Youth National Championships, which will be hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club…
The annual Brassed-Off Cup for Optimists which has been running in Howth for 21 years, was held on Sunday in breezy south easterly conditions over a relatively flat sea with some strong gusts to test the boat handling of the…
Optimist sailors from the Royal St George achieved stellar results at the UK Spring Nationals in Rugby over St Patrick’s Weekend. Five of the Dun Laoghaire club’s nine-strong youth group placed in the top 25 out of 120 boats taking…
Irish Optimist Dinghy Association's Sprint Series Offers Exciting Racing Opportunities for Young Sailors
27th February 2024 Optimist
Optimist sailors in Ireland have found a new and exciting way to stave off boredom during winter training. The Irish Optimist Dinghy Association (IODAI) recently created the IODAI Sprint Series, which aims to give young sailors more opportunities to race…