The Beneteau 21 Class Championships 2020 sailed on Dublin Bay despite the odds over two Saturdays in September writes the class Honorary Treasurer, Jimmy Fischer
21ft boats are no stranger to Dublin Bay, indeed we are seeing a rise of the original under the expert eye of Hal Sisk, but it is another 21ft racing class that has made its mark on the bay. The Dublin Bay fleet of Beneteau 21s has been one of the real racing success stories of the past few years.
These 21ft racer cruisers were the smallest sailing boats made by Beneteau at the time of their launch in the early 1990s. A few model upgrades later and the boats started making a regular appearance on DBSC start lines in 2006/2007, getting their own DBSC start in 2012 and recognition as a one design class at Dun Laoghaire week since 2013.
Today, they have a 12 strong racing fleet, many of whom are originals from the 2006/2007 start line. These are supplemented by entries from Malahide and Greystones for Regattas, Regional and National events. It really shows the commitment of this fleet that 10 of them were regularly racing even in summer 2020.
And that commitment did not waiver when it came to fighting it out for their National Championships, which the fleet managed to fit in despite the ever-changing sailing calendar and restrictions.
10 boats fought it out in a National Championships which they combined with the National Yacht Clubs 150th Anniversary Regatta. 4 races split over 2 Saturdays (one of which all bar one boat had to retire from due to a course mix up!) and the B21's had their 2020 national Champions.
- Small Wonder on 7 points
- Billy whizz on 8 points
- Chinook on 9 points
- Ventuno on 10 points.
As always in this class, it was tight at the top. Few fleets push each other quite as hard as the B21s where it is not uncommon for the series to end with just a point in it.
Hopefully, 2021 will bring back a more conventional racing calendar and apres sail for these small but fierce boats, along with recognition as a class by the ISA, which is currently pending.
Read also: ....And Now it's the new Dublin Bay 21