The time-honoured race around Lambay Island – run annually since 1904 – featured a special edition in 2025, with blustery southwesterly winds at Howth Yacht Club on Saturday, May 31st.
Howth Yacht Club's new Committee Vessel North Star was on duty for the IRC Classes at the 2025 Lambay Races Photo: Afloat
There were thrills and spills on the race course, with the Howth RNLI lifeboat being called out. Visitors from Dun Laoghaire and across Dublin Bay numbered in double figures for the offshore classes competing in Zero, One, Two, and Three, who raced under IRC and Howth's own HPH handicap.
The course distance was of approximately 30km, depending on the courses set for the day. The race had 89 entrants, 10 classes and approximately 550 sailors. The boats ranged in size from the Class 0 fifty footers to the nineteen foot double handed Squibs.
Racing was managed by two Race Committee boats, including the new Howth YC RC boat, North Star, under the stewardship of very experienced race officers David Lovegrove and Derek Bothwell.
Fingal County Council, Lambay Whiskey and Kinetica Sports supported this year's race.
Checkmate XX and The Big Picture Tie
The Class Zero IRC fleet saw a tie between the club's Checkmate XX (Nigel Biggs/Dave Cullen) and the new J112 of Michael and Richard Evans's The Big Picture, who both earned 1.5 points.
The IRC Zero start at the 2025 Howth Yacht Club Lambay Races Photo: Afloat
In third place in the six-boat division was Johnny Treanor's National Yacht Club J112e, ValenTina, one of four travellers in this class from Dun Laoghaire.
The First 50 Checkmate XX was the biggest boat in the 90-boat fleet at the 2025 Howth Yacht Club Lambay Races Photo: Afloat
The J112s were in the frame again under HPH, with Treanor beating the Howth brothers for the runner-up spot, and David Maguire's Cape 31 crew on Valkyrie taking the win in a seven-boat affair.
Johnny Treanor's National Yacht Club J112e, ValenTina, returned to Dun Laoghaire with Lambay Race silverware Photo: Afloat
David Maguire's Cape 31 crew on Valkyrie were HPH winners in Class Zero of the 2025 Howth Yacht Club Lambay Race
Murphy's Outrajeous Triumphs in IRC One
Five Dun Laoghaire visitors swelled the ranks of an impressive Class One IRC to ten, boats, but it was Howth's European and National Champion J109, John & Suzie Murphy's Outrajeous, that won the day despite a new challenge in the fresh conditions posed by Justin Burke's JPK 1.30 ReQuest of the National Yacht Club that. too second. Third was a second Howth, J109, Simon Knowles' Indian.
Justin Burke's JPK 1.30 ReQuest (below) of the National Yacht Club makes a strong start in Class One of the 2025 Howth Yacht Club Lambay Races Photo: Afloat
Under HPH, however, Burke was successful in finishing top of the class with Indian second and Royal Irish Yacht Club's Colin Byrne third in the XP33 Bon Exemple.
Royal Irish Yacht Club's Colin Byrne was third under HPH in the XP33 Bon Exemple at the 2025 Howth Yacht Club Lambay Races Photo: Afloat
Half Tonner 2Farr Claims IRC Two
The Half Tonner 2Farr (Boardman, Kelly and O'Leary) at the 2025 Howth Yacht Club Lambay Races Photo: Afloat
There was no mistaking the top of the leaderboard in Class Two as the dominant Half Tonner 2Farr (Boardman, Kelly and O'Leary), from Rush and Baltimore, – who were RORC Easter Challenge winners on the Solent in April – beat the two Howth J97s in a seven-boat Class Two. Colin and Kathy Kavanagh's Jeneral Lee was second and Stephen Quinn's Lambay Rules was third. Under HPH, Lambay Rules won from Pat O'Neill's J80, Mojo in second, and the Kavanaghs in third.
The J97 Lambay Rules at the 2025 Howth Yacht Club Lambay Races Photo: Afloat
Dux Dominates Class Three IRC
Stephen Mullaney's Sigma 33 Insider at the 2025 Howth Yacht Club Lambay Races Photo: Afloat
Caroline and Nicholas Gore-Grimes of the host club won an eight-boat Class Three IRC in the X332 Dux, beating club mate Stephen Mullaney's Sigma 33, Insider, who finished second with Paddy Kyne's X332, Maximus third. In a three-way split for the X332S under HPH, Dux won from Maximus with Jonathan Wormald's No Excuse third.
Erica tops Howth 17s
The 127-year-old gaff-rigged Howth 17s – still setting jackyard topsails as originally designed in 1897 start their 2025 Lambay Race Photo: Afloat
Davie Nixon's Erica was the winner of a 12-boat Howth 17 race from David Mulligan and Andy Johnston in Sheila. Deilginis (Massey, Toomey & Kenny) was third.
Davie Nixon's Erica was the scratch winner of the Howth 17 2025 Lambay Race Photo: Afloat
Trick or Treat wins Puppeteers
The start of the Puppeteer 22 Lambay Race Photo: Afloat
Alan Pearson and Alan Blay in Trick or Treat were the winners of a 15-boat Puppeteer 22 battle. Ian Dickson's WeyHey was second and Susan Knowles third in Ibis.
The results in all classes are here and racing continues on Sunday on windward/leeward courses for Classes 0, 1, 2, 3, and sports boats. Round-the-cans courses are also held for non-spinnaker boats.
