Thirteen boats left their berths at Kinsale Yacht Club on St Stephen’s Day for the annual Gunsmoke Bell Trophy Race.
The race, sponsored by long-standing club member Sam Cohen, remains a fixture of the festive sailing calendar.
Conditions delivered a classic December day on Kinsale Harbour, allowing all boats to complete the course.
Race officer and KYC Commodore Anthony O’Neill set a course designed to keep the fleet together and ensure a timely finish.
Stephen Lysaght’s Elan 333 Reavra Too took the win, crossing the line at 14:30:54 after just over an hour of racing.
Michael Carroll’s Chancer placed second on corrected time, finishing 2 minutes and 12 seconds behind.
James Peter Donegan’s J/109 Jalapeno secured third.
David Riome’s Valfreya finished fourth, followed by Anthony O’Brien’s White Tiger in fifth and Thomas Roche’s Meridian in sixth.
Sam Cohen’s Gunsmoke II, which gives the race its name, finished seventh.
The remainder of the fleet included Swift, Deboah, Malarkey, Ailleacht and Hansemer.
To encourage entries, the event was sailed as an all-in white sails race.
Stephen Lysaght (centre) receives the Gunsmoke Bell Trophy from sponsor Sam Cohen (left) at Kinsale Yacht Club, joined by the club commodore Anthony O’Neill at the St Stephen’s Day prizegiving after festive racing on the harbour Photo: David Cullinane
By late afternoon, boats were secured and crews gathered in the clubhouse as daylight faded.
The Gunsmoke Bell Trophy Race marked the close of Kinsale Yacht Club’s 2025 sailing calendar.
