Light southeast winds of 6–8 knots – with some stronger periods of ten knots – set the tone for Dublin Bay Sailing Club’s (DBSC) opening 2026 Saturday racing on 25 April.
Conditions were steady but light, placing an early emphasis on positioning and consistency across cruiser and one-design fleets.
In Cruisers 1 IRC, Brian Hall’s J109 Something Else took the win on corrected time of 1:27:37, finishing 2 minutes 06 seconds ahead of Barry Cunningham’s ssitership Chimaera (1:29:43). A third J109, Bobby Kerr’s Riders on the Storm was third on 1:31:23.
Cruisers 0 IRC saw Anthony Fox’s Gringo win on 1:34:25, while Sean Lemass’s Prima Forte took second on 1:40:08 and Tim Kane’s Wow third on 1:47:30.
In Cruisers 2 IRC, Lindsay J. Casey’s J97 Windjammer led on 1:17:03, 3 minutes 44 seconds ahead of Philip Lovegrove’s Sigma 33 Rupert (1:20:47). Fergus O’Sullivan’s Sigma Moonshine was third on 1:21:21.
The ECHO divisions were also competitive. Valda Boardman’s Just Jasmin won Cruisers 5A on 1:25:49, 57 seconds ahead of Colin O’Brien’s Spirit (1:26:46), with Bill Quigley’s Misfits third on 1:27:56.
In Cruisers 5B, Rodney Martin’s Sun Odyssey 32 Gemini posted 1:00:21 to win by 21 seconds from David Clarke’s Fortitudine (1:00:42). Gráinne O’Shea’s Superseal 26-foot Gung-Ho was third on 1:06:56.
Race officers Barry McNeary and Susan McGarry managed proceedings across the cruiser fleets. Racing was briefly affected following an onboard medical emergency in the Cruiser 1 fleet.
ORC results for the opening Saturday were also published, providing further clarity on the pecking order in the early stages of the series.
In Cruisers 0 ORC, Fox’s Gringo confirmed its strong showing with victory on corrected time of 1:29:34, finishing 3 minutes 58 seconds ahead of Lemass’s Prima Forte (1:33:32). Tim Kane’s Wow was third on 1:40:28, while both El Pocko and Aurelia were recorded as DNC.
In Cruisers 1 ORC, Kerr’s Riders on the Storm took the win on 1:25:57, just eight seconds ahead of Fintan Cairns’ Raptor (1:26:05) in one of the closest finishes of the day. White Mischief was recorded as retired.
In the one-design classes, two races were completed in the same light conditions, rewarding consistency across both outings.
In the Dragon class, D Williams and P Bowring’s Phantom won both races to take the overall on two points. John O’Connor’s Prospect placed second overall with consistent finishes, while Ronan Murphy’s Serafina recovered from a first race retirement to take third overall.
The Flying Fifteens also sailed two races, with David Gorman’s Fomo winning both to top the standings on two points. John Lavery’s fmff and Frank Miller’s Glass Half Full followed, tied on points with countback deciding second place.
In the SB20 fleet, Michael O’Connor’s Ted dominated with two race wins to secure the overall on two points. Nick Doherty’s Zephyr was second overall, while Barry Glavin’s SeaBiscuit took third.
The Ruffians sailed one race, with Ann Kirwan’s Bandit taking the win. Brendan Duffy’s Scéal Eile was second, with Frank Bradley’s Ripples third and David Meeke’s Alias fourth.
Across all one-design fleets, the light and variable breeze placed a premium on clean starts and maintaining momentum through both races.
