A last-minute flurry of entries gives the 2022 AIB DBSC Turkey Shoot Series a massive 73 entries to match last year's bumper turnout for the first race off Dun Laoghaire Harbour this Sunday.

As Afloat reported earlier this week, the fleet was at an optimistic 45 boats on October 27th and at 60 boats on Tuesday when the new Cape 31 Blast joined the fray for the Royal Irish-hosted seven-race pre-Christmas series.

The arrival of the new high-powered keelboat was the first of the latest 13 boats that, since Friday, has seen the addition of four more 1720 sportsboats; one from the RIYC and three from the National Yacht Club.

The latest handicaps under modified ECHO and start times are downloadable below. Sailing instructions are here.

 Dublin Bay Sailing Club has published its Turkey Shoot Series Sailing Instructions, Handicaps and Start times for Sunday's first race of the seven-race series (downloadable below).

Further to Afloat's earlier report, the mixed cruiser and one-design keelboat fleet have increased today from 60 to 66 entries.

The first race of the AIB-sponsored series begins off Dun Laoghaire Harbour at 10.10 am this Sunday.

In a pre-event appeal to competitors, race organiser Fintan Cairns has asked competitors to abide by the spirit of the fun Christmas series. 

"We are all out there to enjoy [ourselves], many levels of expertise, so keep it cool and give plenty of room at all times, especially at marks", he told competitors.

DBSC Turkey Shoot organiser Fintan Cairns

Download the DBSC Turkey Shoot Sailing Instructions, Handicaps and Starts below as PDF files.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club 2022 Turkey Shoot Series has reached a fleet of sixty and now includes the Royal Irish-based Cape 31 'Blast', ahead of Sunday's (November 6th) first of seven pre-Christmas races off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

As entries for the popular series close today, organisers confirmed the high-speed Cape 31 will join a strong fleet of Class Zero boats – including Chris Power-Smith's offshore J122 Aurelia – which means a fifth start, as happened for the 75-boat 2021 series. 

The RP37 Extreme Wow, the Puma 42 El Pocko, Black Magic, the First 44.7 and the First 40 Prima Forte, all Class Zero boats, will start last this Sunday.

The First 44.7 Black Magic (Barry O'Donovan) will add extra spice to the 2022 AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot this Sunday Photo: Afloat 

But, in the unique rules of the Turkey Shoot, all boats race together under 'FECHO' handicap, and not in different classes. As race organiser Fintan Cairns tells Afloat, ' there's big boats and little boats, but they're all Turkeys'.

Jonathan Nicholson's El Pocko, a 2004 41-footer yacht, a German Frers Puma 42 will compete this Sunday in the AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot Photo: Afloat

Six J109s, including the reigning National Champion, Joker II, skippered by John Maybury, are also entered. 

The 2019 Turkey Shoot winner, Eleint, a Trapper 300 is entered for the 2022 series on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Kenny Rumball from the INSS, currently competing at the inaugural World Champs in Croatia, will sail in the new RS21 keelboat from week two of the series, and a new First Class 8 class campaign is also expected to appear in the 'all-in' fleet that includes five J80s and four 1720s to date. 

The Lindsay Casey skippered J97 Windjammer, a double winner of DBSC's George Arthur Newsom Cup - for the most successful boat in one-design racing, is slated for AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot on Dublin Bay this Sunday Photo: Afloat

Organisers are now expecting to match or exceed last year's bumper fleet for the series that runs up to December 18th. 

Regular John O'Gorman's Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie from the National Yacht Club is competing in this weekend's AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Now in its 22nd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. 

As regular Afloat readers will know, the white-sailed Elan 333 White Lotus was the overall winner of the 21st edition.

Tim and Richard Goodbody's J109 White Mischief from the host club is one of six J109 contesting Sunday's AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

A Notice of Race is downloadable here. Sailing Instructions issued today (Wednesday, November 2nd) are here, the last day for entries.

The first gun this Sunday is at 10.10 hrs.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club has announced that the AIB DBSC Prize-Giving will be held on Friday 11 November from 7.30pm at the National Maritime Museum of Ireland in Dun Laoghaire.

“We hope to see as many members as possible at this special event to mark the successes of a great AIB DBSC 2022 season,” Rear Commodore Jacqueline McStay says.

Any queries should be directed to the club’s hon sec Rosemary Roy at [email protected].

The removal of Dublin Bay Sailing Club's (DBSC) West Pier Starting Hut, in place for summer yacht racing, had to be aborted early this morning due to exceptionally high and gusting winds on the Dun Laoghaire Pier site.

The club will try the operation again next week, although high winds are forecasted as well.

The hut is wintered each year on Traders Wharf in the Coal Harbour area, with the kind permission of MGM Boats.

DBSC, under the supervision of Chris Moore, makes arrangements to paint and attend to necessary repairs during the winter lay-up.

The next event for the country's biggest yacht racing organisation is its popular winter AIB sponsored Turkey Shoot Series that will be hosted this year by the Royal Irish Yacht Club from November 6th. More on the 22nd here.

Westerly winds of up to 24 knots made for a thrilling final race of the 2022 AIB DBSC Summer Series on Dublin Bay on Saturday. 

In a 1,2,3 for the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Barry Cunningham's Cape 31 Blast took the IRC gun in a four-boat Cruisers Zero division from Patrick Burke's First 40, Prima Forte. Third was Tim Kane's Extreme 37, Wow. 

In a six-boat Cruisers One fleet, John Hall's National Yacht Club Something Else was the winner from the J109 sistership, White Mischief (Tim Goodbody) from the Royal Irish. The RIYC Xp33 Bon Exemple (Colin Byrne) was third. 

Lindsay J. Casey's J97 Windjammer from the Royal St George Yacht Club was the Cruisers Two IRC winner. The final Cruisers Three race of the DBSC season was won by Kevin Byrne's RStGYC Formula 28, Starlet.

As Afloat previously reported, Dublin Bay Sailing Club has  already issued the advance notice of its popular 'Turkey Shoot' winter sailing series that starts on Sunday, 6th November.

Now in its 22nd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

Results in all classes are below.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club has issued the advance notice of its popular 'Turkey Shoot' winter sailing series that starts on Sunday, 6th November.

Now in its 22nd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. 

Last year, a massive 75-boat entry gathered for the short and sharp morning racing that promises to have everyone ashore by lunchtime.

As regular Afloat readers will know, the white-sailed Elan 333 White Lotus was the overall winner of the 21st edition.

A Notice of Race is downloadable below.

Patrick Burke's Prima Forte from the Royal Irish Yacht Club was the winner by three seconds on corrected time in Saturday's AIB DBSC Saturday league on Dublin Bay. 

Barry Cunningham's Cape 31 Blast finished in a corrected time of one hour 57 minutes and 30 seconds in the five-boat IRC Zero battle. 

Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia was third on a time of 1:57:45.

Winds were 15 to 18 knots from the northeast.

The last-minute scrubbing of this weekend's J109 Nationals on the bay did not deter strong class participation in Saturday's DBSC racing, with Js taking the top three places in IRC One.

The overall series leader Timothy Goodbody in the RIYC-based White Mischief took another race win from the National Yacht Club's John Hall in Something Else. Paul Barrington's Jalapeno was third. Five boats competed.

In IRC Two, James McCann's Mustang Peridot won from David O'Flynn's Moonshine. Ian Bowring's Springer was third. 

Results in all DBSC classes are below

The DBSC Water Wag dinghy fleet raced their last race of the season on Wednesday for the Candlelight Trophy at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly set a course of three rounds, four beats in winds of eight-ten knots from 200 degrees.

The race start was delayed by 20 minutes until the visiting cruise ship tendering at the harbour finished.

24 boats started, including a visiting boat, the last wag built; No. 52 Miss Scarlett was constructed in France earlier this year.

Tim Pearson in Little Tern number 36 takes third place in the Water Wag Candelight Trophy at the finish line buoy from number 38, Guy Kilroy in Swift Photo: Ann Kirwan

The race was won by number 15, Moosmie sailed by John O'Driscoll, Second was Mariposa, number 45, Cathy Mac Aleavey. The third was number 36; Little Tern sailed by Tim Pearson.

Results are below

Fintan Cairns's Mills 31 Raptor was the winner of a light air race seven of the AIB DBSC summer Series on Dublin Bay on Saturday. 

The Royal Irish Yacht Club entry finished on top of a six-boat IRC Division One fleet in a corrected time of one hour, 35 minutes and one second. 

It's a fitting success for the Mills 31 crew, as a collision a fortnight ago cast doubt on the rest of their season. A bow patch-up job, however, got the boat out on the water again in time to notch up the important win.

Second, by two minutes, clubmate Tim Goodbody was in the J109 White Mischief (1:37:07corr), while Tony Fox's A35 Gringo from the National Yacht Club took third on a corrected time of 1:38:39.

Results in all 22 DBSC classes are below.