Royal St George Yacht Club Celebrates Its 2024 Regatta Winners

7th July 2024

Afloat.ie Team

A win in Dublin's Royal Irish and Royal St. George regattas puts Johnny Treanor's J112E Valentina as a form boat for next week's biennial Volvo Cork Week Regatta at Crosshaven Credit: Afloat

A 180-boat turnout for the Royal St. George Yacht Club regatta on Saturday (July 6) was treated to some of the best sailing breezes of the 2024 summer season, with three Dublin Bay race courses serving up to three races in strong and gusty westerly winds for an action-packed day off Dun Laoghaire.

Royal St. George IRC Cruisers

The Course A committee boat had two good one-hour races around the fixed can regatta course under Race officer Con Murphy. The first race was held in a 15kt NW with South Bull as Mark 1 and with the wind backing to a westerly, the second race used Seapoint as Mark 1.

A ding-dong battle in Cruisers IRC Zero saw Johnny Treanor's J112E Valentina of the National Yacht Club emerge on top for a second week running on the Bay, but only after some tight windward leeward racing with Pete Smyth's Ker 46, Searcher of the Royal Irish Yacht Club. The pair took a race apiece and finished on the same three points, but victory went to Treanor on the tie-break rule. Third overall went to The First 40 Prima Forte (Burke/Lemass/Rigley Patsy/Sean/Fergus) from the Royal Irish Yacht Club, who scored two-thirds in the seven-boat fleet. Despite the pre-race billing, Howth's First 50 Checkmate XX did not compete.

A win in the Royal Irish and Royal St. George regattas puts Valentina as a form boat when she travels south for next week's biennial Volvo Cork Week Regatta at Crosshaven.

A Committee Boat view from the start of IRC One at the 2024 Royal St. George Yacht Club Regatta on Dublin Bay. Photo: Con Murphy

Brian and John Hall's J109 Something Else was the straight winner in the George regatta's biggest IRC Class. The National Yacht Club entry took two consecutive wins in the blustery conditions to beat the Royal Irish's Tim and Richard Goodbody's sistership White Mischief by 19 seconds on corrected time in race one and over a minute in race two. The National Yacht Club's Ruth (Shanahan Family) were third in the ten-boat fleets that saw nine J109s compete.

Brian and John Hall's J109 Something Else was the straight winner in the Royal St George regatta's biggest IRC Class Photo: Michael Chester

Although the turnout for IRC Two was disappointing, Lindsay J Casey's J97 Windjammer, from the host club won both races.

The Sigma 33, Moonshine (Ronnie/David/Fergus Moloney/O'Flynn/O'Sullivan) competed in the 2024 Royal St. George Yacht Club Regatta on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Howth visitors took the top two places in IRC three, with Stephen Mullaney, Sigma 33 Insider, winning from Kevin Darmody's Bolero 26 Gecko. Third in the six-boat fleet was the host club's Sigma 33, Moonshine (Ronnie/David/Fergus Moloney/O'Flynn/O'Sullivan).

The start of Cruisers 4a/5a on VPRS handicap at the Royal St. George Yacht Club Regatta 2024 with overall winner John Beckett's Splashdance from Howth Yacht Club closest to camera Photo: Con Murphy

In Cruisers 4a/5a on VPRS handicap, visitor John Beckett's Splashdance from John Beckett Howth Yacht Club won from Patrick Kirwan's Boomerang of the host club. Third was Jonathan Nicholson's El Pocko, also of the Royal St George Yacht Club.

In Cruisers 4b/5b, Sean O'Shea's Gung Ho from the Royal Irish Yacht Club won from Clubmat Rodney Martin's Gemini. Paul Conway's Cervantes was third.

Royal Irish Yacht Club's Chris Johnston in Prospect was the Royal St George regatta Beneteau 31.7 winner Photo: Afloat

Royal Irish Yacht Club's Chris Johnston made no mistakes in the Beneteau 31.7 Scratch division, posting two wins in the ten-boat fleet. Brian Geraghty's Camira from the National Yacht Club was second with a 3,2, and the Leahy/Power partnership was third on Levante with a 2,4.

Royal St. George One Designs

In the northwest of the Bay, one design racing under Race Officer Barry O'Neill featured two windward-leeward courses in gusty conditions and westerly winds that produced exciting downwind sailing for multiple fleets.

Owen Laverty's J80 Raisin D'etre was the sportsboat winner in a class that was exclusively J80. Scoring a 2,1, the Royal St George Yacht Club sailor beat Royal Irish Yacht Club Ram Jam, skippered by Austin Kenny. Third in the seven-boat fleet was Laverty's clubmate Conall O'Halloran in Jitterbug.

National SB20 Champion Michael O'Connor of the host club won in a ten-boat turnout, but arch-rival Jerry Dowling of the RIYC took the second race of the day to place second overall with a 6,1 scoreline. Nick Doherty's Rubadubdub from the National Yacht Club was third.

Ronan Murphy's Serafina was the overall Dragon winner in a four-boat fleet with a 3,1 score from Chris Fleming's D-cision on 1,3 with Tim Carpenter's Royal Irish Yacht Club Dragon Zinzan third with a 2,2.

The National Yacht Club's John Lavery was the 2024 Royal St. George Yacht Club Flying Fifteen regatta winner on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

The National Yacht Club's John Lavery in Afloat was a double race winner in the biggest one-design turnout of 16 Flying Fifteens. Royal St George Yacht Club's Philip Lawton in Puffling was second with two seconds, with his clubmate Neil Colin Ffuzzy third.

Frank Bradley's Ripples (left) was the 2024 Royal St. George Yacht Club Ruffian 23 regatta winner on Dublin Bay from Brian Cullen's Bandit (right) Photo: Afloat

Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club's Frank Bradley was the Ruffian 23 winner, counting a 2,1 in Ripples over Brian Cullen's Bandit on 1,2 from the National Yacht Club. Third in the five-boat fleet was Martin McCarthy's National Yacht Club Alias.

Nickie Grey and Dermot Bremner's Glenluce took the prize with a 3,1 in the five-boat Royal St George Yacht Club Glen fleet. John Bligh's Glencree was second, and Brian Denham's Glendun was third.

Joe Smith took a double victory for Yikes from the Royal Irish Yacht Club at the 2024 Royal St. George Yacht Club regatta on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Joe Smith continues a winning run in the Beneteau 211s with a double victory for Yikes from the Royal Irish Yacht Club. The host club's Pete Evans was second in Anemos II with 2,2, and Pat Shannon's Royal Irish Yacht Club Beeswing was third in an eight-boat fleet.

On the Seapoint dinghy course under Race Officer Suzanne McGarry, three-second places saw John Sheehy take the Melges 15 prize in a six-boat fleet from Katie Tingle on 1, 3, 3. Third was Liam Glynn with 4,1,4.

Royal St George Yacht Club's Gary O'Hare took the ILCA 7 victory with 3,1,1 in an eight-boat fleet, and his club mate Brian Carroll was the ILCA 6 winner.

Results in all divisions below

Race Results

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Published in RStGYC

Tagged under

Royal St George Yacht Club

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Royal St. George Yacht Club

The Royal St George Yacht Club was founded in Dun Laoghaire (then Kingstown) Harbour in 1838 by a small number of like-minded individuals who liked to go rowing and sailing together. The club gradually gathered pace and has become, with the passage of time and the unstinting efforts of its Flag Officers, committees and members, a world-class yacht club.

Today, the ‘George’, as it is known by everyone, maybe one of the world’s oldest sailing clubs, but it has a very contemporary friendly outlook that is in touch with the demands of today and offers world-class facilities for all forms of water sports

Royal St. George Yacht Club FAQs

What is the Royal St George Yacht Club?

The Royal St George Yacht Club — often abbreviated as RStGYC and affectionately known as ‘the George’ — is one of the world’s oldest sailing clubs, and one of a number that ring Dublin Bay on the East Coast of Ireland.

Where is the Royal St George Yacht Club based?

The Royal St George Yacht Club is based at the harbour of Dun Laoghaire, a suburban coastal town in south Co Dublin around 11km south-east of Dublin city centre and with a population of some 26,000. The Royal St George is one of the four Dun Laoghaire Waterfront Clubs, along with the National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC).

When was the Royal St George Yacht Club founded?

The Royal St George was founded by members of the Pembroke Rowing Club in 1838 and was originally known as Kingstown Boat Club, as Kingstown was what Dun Laoghaire was named at the time. The club obtained royal patronage in 1845 and became known as Royal Kingstown Yacht Club. After 1847 the club took on its current name.

What does the Royal St George Yacht Club do?

The George is first and foremost an active yacht club with a strong commitment to and involvement with all aspects of the sport of sailing, whether racing your one design on Dublin Bay, to offshore racing in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, to junior sailing, to cruising and all that can loosely be described as “messing about in boats”.

Who are the flag officers of the Royal St George Yacht Club?

As of November 2020, the Commodore of the Royal St George Yacht Club is Peter Bowring, with Richard O’Connor as Vice-Commodore. The club has two Rear-Commodores, Mark Hennessy for Sailing and Derek Ryan for Social.

How many members does the Royal St George Yacht Club have?

As of November 2020, the Royal St George has around 1,900 members.

What are the Royal St George Yacht Club’s burgee and ensign?

The Royal St George’s burgee is a red pennant with a white cross which has a crown at its centre. The club’s ensign has a blue field with the Irish tricolour in its top left corner and a crown towards the bottom right corner.

Does the Royal St George Yacht Club organise racing?

Yes, the club hosts regular weekly racing for dinghies and keelboats as well as a number of national and international sailing events each season. Major annual events include the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, hosted in conjunction with the three other Dun Laoghaire Waterfront Clubs.

Does the Royal St George Yacht Club cater for youth sailing?

Yes, the Royal St George has a vibrant junior sailing section that organises training and events throughout the year.

Does the Royal St George Yacht Club cater for sail training?

Sail training is a core part of what the George does, and training programmes start with the Sea Squirts aged 5 to 8, continuing through its Irish Sailing Youth Training Scheme for ages 8 to 18, with adult sail training a new feature since 2009. The George runs probably the largest and most comprehensive programme each summer with upwards of 500 children participating. This junior focus continues at competitive level, with coaching programmes run for aspiring young racers from Optimist through to Lasers, 420s and Skiffs.

What sailing classes does the Royal St George Yacht Club host?

The most popular boats raced at the club are one-design keelboats such as the Dragon, Shipman 28, Ruffian, SB20, Squib and J80; dinghy classes including the Laser, RS200 and RS400; junior classes the 420, Optimist and Laser Radial; and heritage wooden boats including the Water Wags, the oldest one-design dinghy class in the world. The club also has a large group of cruising yachts.

What facilities does the Royal St George Yacht Club have?

The Royal St George is based in a Victorian-style clubhouse that dates from 1843 and adjoins the harbour’s Watering Pier. The clubhouse was conceived as a miniature classical Palladian Villa, a feature which has been faithfully maintained despite a series of extensions, and a 1919 fire that destroyed all but four rooms. Additionally, the club has a substantial forecourt with space for more than 50 boats dry sailing, as well as its entire dinghy fleet. There is also a dry dock, four cranes (limit 12 tonnes) and a dedicated lift=out facility enabling members keep their boats in ready to race condition at all times. The George also has a floating dock for short stays and can supply fuel, power and water to visitors.

Does the Royal St George Yacht Club have a bar and/or dining facilities?

Yes, the Royal St George’s clubhouse offers a full bar and catering service for members, visitors and guests. Currently the bar is closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

What are the opening hours of the Royal St George Yacht Club?

The Royal St George boathouse is open daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm during the winter. The office and reception are open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 5pm. The bar is currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. Lunch is served on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3pm.

Does the Royal St George Yacht Club host functions such as weddings, parties or corporate events?

Yes, the Royal St George regularly hosts weddings and family celebrations from birthdays to christenings, and offers a unique and prestigious location to celebrate your day. The club also hosts corporate meetings, sailing workshops and company celebrations with a choice of rooms. From small private meetings to work parties and celebrations hosting up to 150 guests, the club can professionally and successfully manage your corporate requirements. In addition, team building events can utilise its fleet of club boats and highly trained instructors. For enquiries contact Laura Smart at [email protected] or phone 01 280 1811.

How do I become a member of the Royal St George Yacht Club?

The George is delighted to welcome new members. It may look traditional — and is proud of its heritage — but behind the facade is a lively and friendly club, steeped in history but not stuck in it. It is a strongly held belief that new members bring new ideas, new skills and new contacts on both the sailing and social sides.

Do I need to own a boat to become a member of the Royal St George Yacht Club?

No — members can avail of the club’s own fleet of watercraft.

How much does it cost to join the Royal St George Yacht Club?

There is currently no joining fee for new members of the Royal St George. The introductory ordinary membership subscription fee is €775 annually for the first two years. A full list of membership categories and related annual subscriptions is available.