The Royal St. George YC has announced the launch of a unique Laser (ILCA) sprint regatta series in association with sponsor Grant Thornton.

The Laser dinghy fleet in Dun Laoghaire and across the country has been having a bumper season with record attendance numbers at various regional and national events. The Royal St. George YC, with probably the largest Laser fleet in the country, has just announced a unique series of one-day regattas to encourage more people into the sport.

Commencing on October 9th, with a ‘Race with Champions’ event, the regatta series will consist of 4 events between now and next summer. The ‘Race with Champions’ format sees national champions from across the 4.7, Radial and Standard rigs in the Laser invited to compete with sailors of all levels of experience in a fun yet competitive event format.

Each regatta comprises five short races of 20-30 minutes in duration with separate prize categories across the different rigs, genders and ages. There is particular emphasis from the race committee on ensuring a fast-paced and fun event for competitors of all ages and abilities. Novice sailors are most welcome as this provides a unique format to be involved in racing at the highest level across the Irish fleet.

"Over 100 Lasers in the Royal St. George YC across all ages"

Speaking at the announcement of the series, Royal St. George YC Laser class captain, Brendan Hughes said, “We’re delighted to announce the launch of the Grant Thornton ILCA Sprint Regatta series and are very grateful to our sponsors for making this possible. The purpose behind the series is to provide a format for more sailors to have an opportunity to experience racing in a Laser, in a relaxed yet competitive environment. We now have over 100 Lasers in the Royal St. George YC across all ages and we’re eager to provide them with as many opportunities as possible to have fun on the water.”

Royal St. George YC Laser class captain, Brendan Hughes
Mick Shelley of Grant Thornton Ireland is himself a Laser sailor and he said that; “Sailing and in particular Laser sailing is a great sport for both male and female, young and old to be involved in. The modest cost of the Laser dinghy has meant that sailing has become accessible to many people and Grant Thornton Ireland are proud to be associated with this series.”

Despite Covid restrictions, The Irish 12 Foot Dinghy Championship took place in Dun Laoghaire Harbour in both 2020 and 2021. This year the entry numbers were reduced due to one dinghy being trapped in Mayo with a broken trailer, and the painting of another dinghy not been completed in time. Despite this, the championship was hard-fought and the deserved winner was Margaret Delany's 100-year-old 'Cora', which was built by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport or Southampton for Lieut. Colonel the Hon. Claud Maitland Patrick Brabazon, son of the 12th Earl of Meath in 1921.

In race one over a triangular course with about 6 knots of breeze, 'Cora' was a premature starter, and despite her excellent speed, she could not get near Andrew and George Miller in 'Pixie'. Third place was taken by David and Henry Shackleton in the beautifully prepared 'Scythian', and Gail Varian and Gavin Johnston in 'Albany' were fourth.

Due to some ambiguity as to whether the boats were required to pass through the start-finish line on intermediate rounds race two was scrapped. All the crews went ashore for a sociable lunch in the Royal St George Yacht Club, where they were joined by some former 12 foot dinghy sailors and discussions ranged from absent friends to travel to international regattas.

Margaret Delany in the 100-year-old Cora dinghy

In the afternoon, the breeze had increased slightly. Again 'Pixie' dominated partly because 'Cora' was obliged to take a penalty turn soon after the start. The finishing order after two laps was 'Pixie', 'Cora', 'Albany' and 'Scythian'. The third race was controlled by 'Cora', who was pushed hard by 'Albany', which had better upwind speed. 'Pixie' was third and 'Scythian' fourth. The final race again fell to 'Cora' who sailed a faultless race to win the championship on countback as winner of the last race.

At the prize-giving at the Royal St George Yacht Club, championship chairman Vincent Delany congratulated the Irish 12 Foot dinghy Championship winner, wished 'Pixie' the best of luck at her forthcoming regatta in Monaco. Delany thanked the Windyridge Garden Centre for their sponsorship of the prizes for the event and looked forward to an increased entry for the 2022 Irish champion

This was the first-ever Irish Championships for the Bray Droleen Class, despite the 12-foot catboats being designed by William Ogilvy in 1896. How was this the case? The nine boat fleet raced regularly between 1897 and 1902, and thereafter the fleet in Bray collapsed for a number of reasons. In the 19th century, there were no races for the Droleens except off Bray Promenade and some east coast regattas. There was no racing for the Class in the 20th Century. Since 2013, many boats have been built in various parts of the country, so when they came together for a championship in Dun Laoghaire on 29 August, this was their first National Championship.

The Droleens had previously raced in Kingstown and sailed from Bray to compete at the Kingstown Township Regatta. This year all but one Droleen arrived by road trailer, and one arrived on a 20-ton seaweed truck which managed to stop the traffic in Dun Laoghaire while unloading its precious cargo.

Bray Droleens - Windyridge, Galway Girl and Bray Heritage

In race one, held in a six-knot breeze, Mark Delany sailing Philip Harvey's 'Windyridge' which was built in Cavan by Paddy Sheridan, dominated and took the gun with Jim Horgan's self-built 'Galway Girl' in second place. Paul and Tony Finnegan's 'Bray Heritage, ' which was built by a team of volunteers under Frank DeGroot, was late for the start and was unable to make an impression. Race two resulted in the same finishing order, 'Galway Girl' being hampered by the enclosed environment of Dun Laoghaire harbour and preferring the open waters of Greatman's Bay off Connemara. All the competitors came ashore for a sociable lunch in the clubhouse and conversations about boats and boatbuilding and how to rig the Droleens to best effect. In the first afternoon race over a smaller course, 'Windyridge' again dominated while 'Galway Girl' retired and 'Bray Heritage' was challenged by the light winds. In the final race 'Windyridge' managed to pull off a port tack start, much to the surprise of the other competitors.

Galway Girl

Windyridge

At the prize-giving at the Royal St George Yacht Club, championship chairman Vincent Delany expressed a hope that the Droleens would compete together again before the end of the season, and hopefully in Bray, and including Michael Weed's beautiful 'Donegal' Droleen.

The Royal Saint George Yacht Club welcomes youth team racers from around the country for its Elmo Trophy competition on August 28th and 29th in Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

The event will be sailed in three flights of Firefly dinghies, where teams of six crews will race each other in a round-robin format.

Download the Notice of Race below

Teams must consist of six members from the same club, school or dinghy association. At least two members must be aged 16 and under on 31st December 2021. All team members must be aged 19 or under on 31st December 2021 and still attending second level education in 2021 (i.e. the event is not aimed at University Students).

The home team will hope to defend the trophy won by 'Curious George' in 2019 when 130 races were sailed over the weekend.

This year will see some new entrants such as Glandore Harbour Yacht Club, who have been training in a fleet of Fireflies already this season.

The Royal St. George's Elmo Trophy

The unique format of the event looks to split teams into pools of equal standards to ensure close racing for all while allowing every pool to have a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals.

To be placed on the entry list, email John Sheehy – [email protected]

Download the Notice of Race below as PDF document

There is a new addition to the small but highly competitive J/80 Dublin Bay race fleet. Supported by their club the Royal Saint George in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, the 'Jeorgettes' are an all-female crew competing in their first season in the 2021 DBSC racing series writes Ali Robinson.

"It's exciting for the club," says Sailing Manager Ronan Adams, "it's imperative we ensure an entry pathway for women sailors wanting to develop their racing skills, and we are supporting our female club members and sailors, by providing a J80 for the season".

A competitive group of 16 RStGYC sailors have come together to compete head to head with the other Dublin Bay J80s in the Sportsboat & Dragon class, which is an exciting fleet and growing in size every year.

Training began back in May when the Jeorgettes entered the DBSC race training series, and they have gone from strength to strength training on Wednesdays and racing on Thursdays.

The George is a very successful and active club with many of the sports top sailors competing at junior, national and master's levels across a number of fleets. Last year, the club, along with a few female sailors recognised the number of female members at either beginner or improver levels who had an interest in crewing and developing their skills on the water, so after a few conversations, a plan was put in place to meet this demand and provide a springboard platform from which to encourage and develop female club members into the world of racing.
"Approximately 10% of the entire DBSC series are female skippers" says helm Ali Robinson who feels this initiative is a really great opportunity to get out there and mix it up with the guys.

The J/80 Jeorgette team from the Royal St. George Yacht Club out training in their home waters of Dun Laoghaire Harbour

"The best way to improve as a sailor is to go racing, buts it's also important not to over face anyone and to recognise different skills and abilities needed to balance the boat with a mix of experience and energy. We have a pool of sailors ranging from beginners, cruisers, laser masters and transatlantic offshore sailors! The aim is to build resilience in the group this season. We do this by rotating crew positions each week so no one is stuck on any one job all the time. We already have a core of racing fit crew with more and more getting their racing toes wet each week which is brilliant! "

Team Manager Joanne Shelly was successful in securing additional sponsorship, which was very kindly provided by Grant Thornton, which helps to ensure the costs of managing a racing team are not prohibitive. Joanne says, "this is a gateway for women who want to experience the sport in an inclusive and encouraging environment where it's not just about winning, its about the joy of sailing and spending time on the water, understanding the weather and tides and how a boat works. We are really looking forward to continuing this into next year".

The Royal St. George J/80 fleet is supported by Grant Thornton

Sailing can be perceived as requiring strength and power, but its not just about that, sailing and particularly racing requires intelligent tactics, strategy, teamwork, knowledge of the winds and tides, boat handling, seamanship and most importantly, teamwork that utilises different skills across the boat which makes it a perfect forum to bring together female sailors from all experience levels.

Kate Fogarty, Rear Commodore (Sailing) in the RStGYC, is "delighted to support our female members on the water and are proud to have such an enthusiastic group of fellow members representing the club". Many of the newer members have learnt to sail through the RSGYC USail Programme, the RStGYC dedicated Adult Sailing Programme, which provides an exciting introduction to the sport for beginners and is open to members and non-members alike.

Halfway into the season, the Jeorgettes have had good results and aim to continue improving. With their mid-summer Jeorgettes sailing dinner this Thursday and plans to compete in the Irish J/80 Nationals in Howth later this year, it sounds like champagne sailing all round! Good luck girls.

Royal St George Yacht Club Sailor Tom Higgins put in an impressive performance to win all five races in the ILCA 7 (Laser standard) fleet and lift the winner's trophy at the Connaught championships. The event was hosted by Wexford Harbour Boat and Tennis Club in light breezes and hot and sunny weather.

To manage COVID risk, the event was capped at 100 sailors and was fully subscribed within days of opening. The large number of sailors who then went onto the waiting list in the hope of getting a place in the event attests to the popularity of the ILCA fleet in Ireland. With many high-performance sailors returning from international events, the standard was particularly high and made for exciting racing.

Second and third places in the ILCA7 (Laser standard) fleet were awarded to Jamie McMahon and Ewan McMahon, respectively. The two brothers from Howth Yacht Club managed to squeeze local sailor, Ronan Wallace of WHBTC, into fourth place. The master's category was won by Ross O'Leary of Royal St George, and the first youth sailor in the ILCA 7 was Kei Walker, also from the Royal St George.

In the ILCA 6 (Radial) fleet, the young Michael Crosbie of RCYC put in an impressive performance to lift the winner's trophy. Crosbie has recently returned from European Youth Radial Championships in Croatia, where he placed 32nd. Irish Academy sailor, Aoife Hopkins of Howth YC, finished second with young rising star, also of Howth Yacht Club, Eve McMahon finishing in 3rd. Eve also recently returned from the European Radial Youth Championships in Croatia where she finished with silver.

The scene at Wexford Harbour Boat Club's dinghy park for the Laser 'Connaught' Championships

The first master in the ILCA 6 (Radial) fleet went to Sean Craig, who finished 9th overall. Craig, of the Royal St George, has had a fantastic season so far, being recently awarded the Afloat.ie "Sailor of the month for June 2021". He has been on top form, winning the Masters champs and the Ulster Champs within the last couple of months.

First prize for Lady Master in the ILCA 6 went to Shirley Gilmore of the Royal St George, who finished 15th overall, facing off strong competition from Alison Pigot of the National YC and placing impressively in a very strong fleet.

In the ILCA 4 (Laser 4.7 Fleet), the top 2 positions went to RCYC sailors, with James Dwyer finishing in first place and Darragh Collins taking silver. Krzysztof Ciborowski of Royal St George finished with Bronze.

The winner of the ILCA 4 fleet for the girls was Eimer McMorrow Moriarty of TBSC, with Isabel McCarthy of RCYC taking the second position and Hannah Dadley Young of Ballyhnolme YC placed the third girl.

Full results can be seen here

The Dublin Bay Laser fleet based in Dun Laoghaire Harbour are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Laser class with a novel one-day sprint regatta on July 25th.

The single-handed Laser remains one of the most popular one-design dinghies since it was officially unveiled at the New York Boat Show in 1971. Since then nearly 220,000 Lasers have been produced with ILCA class associations in 120 countries globally including Ireland.

The Dublin Bay Laser fleet is the largest in Ireland with over 100 boats sailed out of the RStGYC alone this season and many more launching from across the NYC, RIYC, DMYC, INSC clubs in addition to the Coal Harbour.

A limit of 100 boats can attend the Laser 50th celebrations on Dublin Bay

To mark the 50th anniversary, the RStGYC is hosting a special sprint regatta event, sponsored by Grant Thornton on Sunday, July 25th. The event is open to all Laser sailors across Dun Laoghaire both junior and adult and in all rigs.

With the first gun at 2 pm, there will be a minimum of five sprint races in quick succession for each fleet, with each race lasting between 20-30 minutes. Prizes will be awarded for the top three positions in each fleet with males and females ranked separately in 4.7s and Radials.

Racing will take place in Dublin Bay, which means that this will be a great practice event for local 4.7 sailors who are taking part in the ILCA 4.7 World Championship which is hosted in Dun Laoghaire between August 7-14.

50th anniversary Laser racing will take place on Dublin Bay

The Laser has been an Olympic class boat since 1996 and this year Ireland is being represented once again by Dun Laoghaire sailor Annalise Murphy in the Radial rig. This Dublin Bay event will coincide with the first Laser race in the Tokyo Olympics.

All activities will take place in accordance with government Covid-19 guidelines with briefing and other communications taking place virtually. A socially distanced closing ceremony will take place in the forecourt of the Royal St. George Yacht Club from 7 pm.

A socially distanced closing ceremony will take place in the forecourt of the Royal St. George Yacht Club

Early bird entry fee for the  Grant Thornton sponsored event is €20 with entry limited to 100 boats. Entry and further details are available on the Rstgyc website.

West Cork Dragon sailors dominated the podium of the Irish East Coast Dragon Championships 2021 at the Royal St. George Yacht Club today with Kinsale Yacht Club crews claiming first second and third overall in the 13-boat fleet.

Overall winner Cameron Good's 'Little Fella' ended the six-race series with three race wins and a five-point margin over clubmate James Matthews on 14 points.

Securing its position as the new force for Dragon sailing in Ireland, Kinsale yachts led from Friday's first day of racing with Matthews edged out by Good after Saturday's fourth race in 15-20 knot south easterlies on Dublin Bay.

From left - Joey Mason Dublin Bay Dragon Class Captain, Winning skipper Cameron Good with crew Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern and Royal St. George YC Commodore Richard O'Connor

One time leader James Matthews finished second overall Photo: Afloat

Third place was Tomas O'Brien's Scarlet Ribbons two points further back on 17 points. 

Tomas O'Brien's Scarlet Ribbons

The top Dublin boat was Peter Bowring and David Williams' Phantom of the host club in fourth place on 19 points. 

Peter Bowring and David Williams' Phantom of the host club

Kinsale will host the prestigious 2024 Dragon Gold Cup, a high point on the calendar after the disappointing cancellation of the 2020 Cup at that venue due to COVID. 

Results are here

Dragon East Coast Championships Photo Gallery

Kinsale entries continue to lead after five races sailed at the 2021 Irish East Coast Dragon Championships at the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

Friday's overall leader James Matthews from Kinsale Yacht Club has however been replaced at the top of the leaderboard by clubmate Cameron Good.

Good, who topped the first major Irish Dragon Championships since 2019 in June, now leads the 13-boat Dun Laoghaire event by three points. 

Cameron Good's Dragon 'Little Fella' leads on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Good's scoresheet includes two race wins secured in yesterday's 12 to 18-knot breezes from the southeast with a mist and fine drizzle.

Testing championship conditions for the fleet were completed with a good chop in the north of the Bay. 

Racing continues on Sunday. 

Results are here.

Kinsale Yacht Club sailors dominate the top three places overall at the Irish East Coast Dragon Championships 2021 at the Royal St. George Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour this evening. 

James Matthews leads by three points having scored 3,1 in sea breeze conditions on Dublin Bay. The Kinsale ace is followed by clubmate Tomas O'Brien in Scarlet Ribbons on seven points with Cameron Good's Little Fella in third place on 11 points.

The south-easterly breeze built from ten knots for the opening race up to 16-18 knots for the second race of the day.

IRL 201 Titan in her first race since refit wins the opening race of the Dragon East coast Championships. Photo: Adam Winkelmann

Host club hopes were high when former Royal St George Yacht Club Commodore Martin Byrne took the gun in the first race but retired in the stronger breeze of the second race.

Byrne, a former Edinburgh Cup winner, was sailing IRL 201 Titan in her first race since refit. Byrne is sailing with Ben Cooke and Rui Ferreira.

Racing continues over the weekend. Provisional results below.