SB20 Crews Arrive for Euros at Royal Irish Yacht Club

19th August 2018

SB20s racing on Dublin Bay. The European Championships will be staged by the Royal Irish Yacht Club from Tuesday 28th August to Saturday 1st September

Many of the international teams have now arrived in Dublin for the SB20 European Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club from Tuesday 28th August to Saturday 1st September. Racegeek's Ric Morris, one of the event sponsors, runs through the likely contenders for next weeks SB20 Europeans

VIS Sailing Team of Saint-Petersburg announced their intentions with a win at last week’s East Coast Domestic Regionals, dominating the final day of racing with 3 wins out of 4.

Equipment for the Australian Porco Rosso team arrived at the venue last night and the team arrives this Friday. Their second-place finish at the recent Portuguese Nationals marks them out among the favourites. The Portuguese team Animal of Clube Naval de Cascais that won that event is also here in Dublin.

Michael O'Connor’s Sixth Place is Irish High

Multi-world champions Give Me 5 are absent, but a strong French contingent of 5 teams is led by Alain Roig. Ukrainian team #GAMECHANGER is also expected to mount a challenge.
The SB20 class has had a strong presence in Ireland since its inception and any of four local teams can be expected to be in the mix. Despite patchy form since Michael O'Connor’s 6th place at the 2017 World Championships remains the stand out performance by an Irish team at the top level.

Jerry Downing and Stefan Hyde of host club have won the national championship several times. No big event in Ireland would be the same without Marty O'Leary and after a couple of seasons dominating the RS200 racing nationally he switches over to helm Boomsticks for this event. A Howth Yacht Club team with Cillian Dixon and Sam Byrne as regulars joined the class this winter and will be strong contenders.

After 3 months of sunny and stable weather, Autumnal equinox conditions arrived in Dublin last week. The first day of the east coast championship served up winds pushing past 35 kts. It's a testament to the resilience of the SB20, and the suitability of the venue for sportsboat racing, that racing continued in conditions that may otherwise have been of concern. Dublin bay can be a tricky venue with a strong tidal influence and the long-range forecast indicates there is the potential for similar full-on racing next week.

Racegeek is one of a number of sponsors for the event. The company has been associated with the class previously as a sponsor of the 2017 Worlds in Cowes, England and 2018 Worlds in Hobart Australia.

More on Racegeek here

Published in SB20

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SB20

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SB20 (formerly Laser SB3) information

Designed by Tony Castro, the SB20 is a British-built strict one-design 6.15m keelboat conceived as a wide appeal, affordable, competitive sportsboat for teams of three or four sailors. It is also, arguably, the most successful sportsboat in the world with 800 owners competing regularly in a programme of exciting local, national and international events.

Originally known as the Laser SB3, the SB20 continues to deliver on its pioneering promise: a boat that is fun, fast and easy to sail by anyone of any age; the best value-for-money sportsboat in the market.

The Laser SB3 was designed by Castro and launched in 2002. In 2007 the Laser SB3 was awarded ISAF Recognised Status and the first World Championships were held in Ireland in 2008. In 2012, Tony Castro appointed a new builder, Sportsboat World. At this time, the Laser SB3 was renamed the SB20 and building was returned to the UK from Malaysia. The ethos of the class continues.

The boat is a strict one-design class, economic to buy and campaign, easy to sail with a simple deck layout and electric downwind performance delivered by the generous sail plan. The boat has a lifting keel, can easily be launched from a slipway and towed behind a family car.

Previous SB20 World Champions

2008 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Roger Gilbert, Roz Allen & Sarah Allan

Host National Yacht Club, Dun laoghaire, Ireland

2009 GBR: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heeley

Host Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal

2010 GBR: Jerry Hill, Grant Rollerson, Joe Llewellyn

Host Circolo Vela Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy

2011 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Andy Ramus, Ian Mills & Emma Clarke

Host Royal Torbay Yacht Club, Torquay, UK

2012 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Lesley Dhonau, Roger Hudson & Asenathi Jim

Host Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Queensland, Australia

2013 GRB: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heley Host COYCH Club, Hyeres, France