There was fun on and off the water for SB20s at the Freshwater Keelboat Regatta season finale in Lough Derg Yacht Club last weekend writes Class President John Malone.

Fabulous weather, great race management lead by Geoff O'Donoghue and legendary hospitality in the Whiskey Still and dinner in LDYC on sat night.

It was great to see six all new crews in the fleet racing at their 1st open event. Strictly Business (Eoin Leahy, Donie Herraghty & Emmet Ryan) was the top boat of the new crews managing to score a 3rd in the Penultimate on Sunday morning & 6th overall - a team to watch next season - Eoin was SB20 national champion in the classes debut season in Ireland, he has now switched from middle to the back of the boat. Donie is a previous SB20 owner with Martin McNamara who now has taken the reigns of Sharkbait with co-owner Jude Kilmartin.

1st Overall, Low Fly/3426 Paul Doran, Philip Doran, John Malone (SB20 President), Bella Morehead, Tadg Murphy (LDYC Commodore), Simon Doran

Lough Derg now has seven boats being sailed out of 3 sailing centres - Domineer, Mount Shannon & Garrykennedy, Sonic Boom/3309/Iniscealtra Sailing Club helmed by Andrew Decan & crewed by McElligott Brothers Brian and Conor finished in 8th Overall and were the Top ranking boat from Lough Derg. Scorpio Beg/3475 Sailed by Dominic O'Sullivan, B Bryce and D Coleman were leading this local battle overnight but were unfortunate to find rig damage on Sunday morning following a Rig Tangle with Strictly Business at Leeward Mark were 4 Boats rafted up at a leeward mark with less than enough room for all to round in comfort.

Silver Champion was the Ladies Team Lia, Joe Gilmartin (Vice Commodore LDYC), Flore Dion, Sarah Byrne (holding Cup), Elaine Malcolm, Tadg Murphy (LDYC Commodore)

The Winter Series in Lough Ree Yacht Club will commence in November, with eight boats expected to be based there in 2020

Overall results attached below

Royal St. George Yacht Club's Michael O'Connor sailing with Davy Taylor of the SB20 class has won the All-Ireland Sailing Championship 2019. 

As north-west winds blew to over 20-knots the championship was decided over short sharp races inside Dun Laoghaire Harbour this afternoon under Race Officer Jack Roy, the Irish Sailing President. 

The championships were raced in the Flying Fifteen keelboat and drew a fleet of 16 invited champion sailors from across the Irish yacht racing scene as Afloat reported here.

It is the second year in a row that the All Ireland Sailing title has been won by the SB20 nominee. 

Second overall was Northern Ireland RS400 ace Robert Espey. Third was Greystones Sailing Club's Shane MacCarthy representing the GP14 class. Full results below.

After a qualification round on Saturday, the final day’s racing was moved from Dublin Bay to the more sheltered Dun Laoghaire Harbour due to strong and gusting winds.

The four-race final round was a close-fought affair over two hours which eventually saw O’Connor pitted against Robert Espey, the RS400 class nominee from Ballyholme. However, the Dun Laoghaire sailor received a jury penalty turn and finished sixth while the Bangor helm had gear damage and was awarded average points for that race depending on the rest of the series.

Michael O'Connor (right) of the Royal St. George Yacht Club emerged as overall winner of the coveted 'champion of champion' titles for 2019 with crew Davy Taylor Photo: Irish Sailing/David Branigan

The whole championship hinged on the final race with just under three points separating first and second places. O’Connor had recovered form after the opening final round race to deliver two race wins with Espey close behind.

Just under three points separated the pair going into the final race. O’Connor started poorly while Espey was heading for a second place; the standings looked set to be up-ended. But O’Connor fought his way back up the fleet in the 20-minute race and took third place and the overall title with one point to spare.

While Espey and his Olympic veteran crew Stephen Milne were first runner-up, Shane McCarthy with Stephen Boyle of the GP14 class were in close contention in third place.

The Flying 15 class hosted the event with boats loaned by their owners and the class national champion David Gorman with Chris Doorly featured in the final series to place seventh overall.

Racing was held in the confines of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Afloat

Final All Ireland Results 2019

Lough Derg Yacht Club is hosting its annual keelboat regatta on the weekend of the 11th and 12th of October. The event will be a wrap up to the season for many of the competitors and over 50 entries are expected from three classes - making it one of the biggest sailing events of the year on the Shannon.

The big attraction for many sailors is the beautiful autumnal setting of Lough Derg but also the opportunity to thoroughly wash the boat out in freshwater at the end of the season. 

The Squibs will be welcoming visitors from the UK as well as Belfast, Strangford Lough, Howth, Kinsale and Dun Laoghaire. As Afloat reported earlier, Kinsale Yacht Club will be promoting their UK and Irish Nationals which are being held in June 2020.

Irish Sailing President Jack Roy and his daughter Jill have indicated they will compete as will UK champion Dick Batt. Squib stalwart Vincent Delany, second in the recent Irish Nationals, is also sailing as is Irish Champions Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan from Royal North. 

The SB20s have just announced that the Irish Nationals will be hosted in Lough Ree in Sept 2020 and a good fleet is expected - including Lough Derg and Lough Ree entries.

The Flying Fifteen fleet, who have just completed a World Championship in Dun Laoghaire are also reported to be travelling to Dromineer in numbers, just a week after the class hosts the All Ireland Sailing Championships at the National Yacht Club. It may be the only winter sailing for the FF's at Dun Laoghaire Harbour given the current winter hard standing woes currently in place.

Unfortunately, the Dragons this year are not competing due to 90th birthday celebrations in Italy where nine Irish boats are competing.

Irish SB20 Champion Jerry Dowling will travel to the class World Championships in Hyeres next month to be appointed SB20 World Council Chairman. 

The international honour for the Irish one-design sailor comes with the unanimous support of the World Council and the stepping down of past chair Ed Russo.

Dowling is well known in the class as a former Irish Class President and a multiple holder of the National Championships title and Rear Commodore Sailing of the Royal Irish Yacht Club on Dublin Bay.

The Iniscealtra Sailing Club annual Gortmore Bell race took place on Lough Derg on Saturday 7th September. With very light wind forecast for the day, the usual 30-mile race was shortened to 20 miles, so the race turned at the Coose Bay mark rather than the usual Gortmore.

The class 2 boats started 30 mins earlier than class 1 with ‘Whisper’, a comfort 30, taking the early lead on the water. In class 1, it was ‘Sonic Boom’, an SB20, that led the fleet out. It was these two boats that ended up fighting for the overall win.

‘Sonic Boom’ caught up the 30-minute deficit just before the last turning mark. The northerly wind died out momentarily and was replaced with a Westerly enabling the two class leaders to reach the new breeze first and they stretched out on the rest of the fleet to take first in each class with ‘Sonic boom’, sailed by Andrew Deakin, Brian McElligott and Colm McElligott taking the overall win having gained a further 23 minutes on the shifting upwind leg to the finish.

The wind speed dropped again after the leaders finished, making it a long last leg for the remaining fleet. Second in Class 1 went to ‘Silk’, a First Class 10, with third going to ‘Zombie’, a Platu 25. In Class 2, second place went to ‘Celtic Charisma’, a Kelt 29 and third place went to ‘Serendipity’ a westerly Longbow.

The Stefan Hyde steered Bád Kilcullen with crew Jimmy Dowling and Kieran Dorgan of the Royal Irish Yacht Club has won the SB20 National Championships on home waters after leading for the entirety of the eight-race series.

From an entry of 20 boats, 15 contested the Dubarry-sponsored sportsboat national title on Dublin Bay.

The host club trio lead Royal St. George's Ted skippered by Michael O'Connor, Davy Taylor and Edward Cook.

Third was Venuesworld skippered by Ger Dempsey, Chris Nolan, Tim Norwood and Damian Dion.

Overall results are below. 

3rd - venuesworld.com Ger Dempsey, Chris Nolan, Tim Norwood and Damian Dion of the RIYC

Sarah Byrne, Flore Dion, Hillary Mirray and Hazel Rae of the RStGYC

James Gorman Séamus O’Donnell Sheena and Robbie Bowers

The unbroken run of championship wins continues for  Bád Kilcullen (Stefan Hyde, Jimmy Dowling and Kieran Dorgan) who lead the SB20 National Championships on Dublin Bay.

After six races sailed, the Royal St. George Yacht Club trio of Michael O'Connor, Davy Taylor and Edward Cook stay second with Lough Ree entry Grant, John Malone and Emmet Sheridan in third. 

Two more races at the Royal Irish Yacht Club hosted event are scheduled for Sunday.

Results below

Three wins from three races gives Bád Kilcullen (Stefan Hyde, Jimmy Dowling and Kieran Dorgan) the perfect start to their SB20 National Championships campaign at the Royal Irish Yacht Club today.

20 boats are competing in the Dubarry-sponsored sportsboat event on Dublin Bay, two more than predicted.

The host club trio lead Royal St. George's Ted skippered by Michael O'Connor, Davy Taylor and Edward Cook who runners up in each of today's blustery rounds. 

Third is venuesworld skippered by Ger Dempsey, Chris Nolan, Tim Norwood and Damian Dion.

Results after three races are below

18 boats - with the possibility of a couple more - have entered the 2019 Dubarry sponsored SB20 National Championships to be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club this coming weekend.

After what was a fantastic Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta with 16 SB20s competing for the silverware in July, the highlight of the SB20 season, the National Championships takes place this weekend.

As Afloat previously reported, crews must weigh-in for the championships and the combined upper crew weight limit is 270 kg.

Jerry Dowling, RIYC's Rear Commodore Sailing, and fellow RIYC Members Stefan Hyde and Jimmy Dowling are in top form in the fleet and were winners of an eight–boat Northern Championships fleet in May.

This weekend, the plan is to run eight races in total and it will be up to the RO to decide how many races are held each day, depending on the forecast. The forecast is looking really good for exciting championship racing.

The SB20 national championships fleet is below: 

After what was a fantastic Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta with 16 SB20s competing for the silverware, the highlight of the SB20 season, the National Championships is now on the horizon.

The three-day championship will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club on the weekend of the 30th August - 1st September. The NOR and online entry can be accessed on the following link here

Class President Colin Galavan says 'there will be a greater emphasis on acknowledging all those battles that take place throughout the fleet with prizes for lots of different categories'.

A crew weigh-in will form part of the registration process with a weight limit is 270 kg.

The class will endeavour to repeat the buoyant turn out of earlier this month to round off 2019 and put the cancellation of its Sprint Series due to lack of entries in June behind it.