Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

afloat headers rstgyc

Royal St. George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

01 280 1811 - [email protected] - Visit Website

Royal St. George Yacht Club (RSt.GYC), Dun Laoghaire News and Updates
Philip Jacob was one of the early members of the IDRA 14 dinghy class (above)
It is with sad regrets that we heard of the passing of Philip Jacob – one of the early members of the IDRA 14 class – who died on 7th Sept - aged 91. Philip was a native of Tramore…
With nine results in the top five from 12 races, Portugal's Team AP Hotels & Resorts of José Paulo Ramada, Artem Basalkin, Carlota Gala and Gonçalo Vieira Lopes won the SB20 World Championships by 11 points at Dun Laoghaire
Portugal's Team AP Hotels & Resorts of José Paulo Ramada, Artem Basalkin, Carlota Gala and Gonçalo Vieira Lopes are the new Provident CRM SB20 World Champions after a thrilling 12-race series concluded on Dublin Bay.  Team Xcellent of John Pollard, Jack Wetherell and…
A great start for Royal Cork and Monkstown Bay youth team 'The Bear' (IRL 3060) in an abandoned start to race four of the SB20 Worlds at Dun Laoghaire. The Bear is sailed by Cork sailors Harry Pritchard, Derry McLeavy, Oisin Pearce and Oisin McSweeney
Royal St. George local trio of Michael O'Connor, Davy Taylor and Edward Cook sailing 'Ted' have moved from 11th to sixth overall as the top Irish boat after day three of the SB20 World Championships on Dublin Bay.  The trio moved up from…
Rachel Crowley suitably dressed for ILCA racing in the Royal St. George Yacht Club’s End of Season Pursuit Race at Dun Laoghaire Harbour
In the post-covid era, it would appear that boat owners and their crews may have become bored with only triangular or windward-leeward courses. This year the Royal St. George Yacht Club’s End of Season match, over a more complex hexagonal…
Kinsale's Cameron Good (hidden from view), Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern sailing 'Little Fella' are the 2022 Irish Dragon champions after leading a six-race contest at the Royal St. George Yacht Club on Dublin Bay from start to finish
Leading the championships from start to finish, Kinsale Yacht Club crew Cameron Good, Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern, sailing Little Fella claimed the Irish Dragon National Championships at the Royal St. George YC on Sunday. Royal St. George's Alistair Kissane, Ronan Murphy and Cian Hughes in…
Cameron Good (right) leads the Dragon class racing on Dublin Bay
After five races sailed at the Royal St. George YC Dragon hosted National Championships, Kinsale Yacht Club crew Cameron Good, Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern, sailing Little Fella, on 12 points, still lead overall by two points.   But after today's single race sailed,…
Dragon class racing on Dublin Bay
After four races sailed at the Royal St. George YC Dragon hosted National Championships, Kinsale Yacht Club crews occupy the top three overall.  Cameron Good, Henry Kingston and Matthias Hellstern sailing Little Fella on 14 points, lead by two points overall on…
The tops. Fiachra McDonnell with Tralee Bay SC Commodore Anthony Clifford at the conclusion of a successful ILCA/Laser Nationals 2022
The most numerous and widespread dinghy class in Ireland is the ever-young ILCA/Laser. Yet even though a large fleet turned up for their Nationals in August at Tralee Bay, the fact that several sub-divisions took part with the class’s different…
Royal St. George's Michael O'Connor at the helm of Ted, the winner of the pre-World Championship Irish East Coast event on Dublin Bay
With under a week to go to the 2022 SB20 World Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club on Dublin Bay, Dun Laoghaire's Michael O'Connor has scored a significant win at a spiced-up edition of the Irish Eastern Championships populated…
The record 29 teams competing in the Elmo Trophy this year saw the very best of Dun Laoghaire harbour over the weekend
It’s hard to imagine that racing in three knots of breeze could produce a thrilling finish, but this year's Elmo team racing Trophy final between ‘Nautibuoys’ and ‘Port Hub’ produced exactly that. After 148 races over the weekend, the final…
Cora leading Albany and Scythian at the fourth County Dublin 12 Foot Dinghy  Championships Hosted By Royal St. George Yacht Club
In 1931, there was no national structure to organise sailing in Ireland, so the County Dublin 12 Foot International Dinghy Association was formed to co-ordinate sailing activities in Malahide, Howth, Sutton, Clontarf, Seapoint and Dun Laoghaire under the Presidency of…
With 29 teams and five flights, this weekend's Elmo Cup will be the biggest team racing event ever sailed in Ireland
An impressive 29 teams (which means 174 sailors) will battle for team racing's Elmo Trophy in Dun Laoghaire Harbour this weekend. Five flights of firefly dinghies (which means 30 boats) will be launched from the Royal Saint George Yacht Club…
Fireball World Championships racing on Lough Derg
The dinghy park at Lough Derg Yacht Club, hosts to the GUL Fireball World Championship, is quiet this morning! Is that down to Irish hospitality on Crews’ Night? Or is it rather that the sixth race of the World Championship…
Dun Laoghaire Harbour is the venue for the Elmo Cup - see the short timelapse video below
Royal St. George's Robert Walker shot this short timelapse video showing the training that is ongoing this week for the Elmo Cup team racing and the Dun Laoghaire Harbour granite pond venue looks superb in the August sunshine!  See the…
The green spinnaker of Barry McCartin & Conor Kinsella of Royal St. George Yacht Club. The Irish duo are second overall after three races sailed
After the loss of two races yesterday, Sunday, to insufficient wind, IRO Con Murphy advised the fleet at the GUL Fireball Worlds that three races would be on the agenda for Monday with an earlier start time of 11:00. He…
Royal Cork Yacht Club's Ben O’Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain (right) were the overall winners of the Irish 29er Nationals on Dublin Bay
With three race wins on their scoresheet, Royal Cork Yacht Club and National Yacht Club's Ben O’Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain claimed the Mervue Laboratories 2022 29'er Irish National Championships with a 12-point win margin. After eight races sailed at the Royal St. George…

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

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.

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).

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.

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”.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Membership subscriptions are renewed on an annual basis

Full contact details for the club and its staff can be found at the top of this page

©Afloat 2020

RStGYC SAILING DATES 2023

April 15th Lift In

April 29th & 30th Irish Schools Team Racing National Championships

May 20th & 21st SB20 Eastern Championships

May 27th & 28th Laser Masters National Championships

July 6th – 9th Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

August 19th & 20th Irish Waszp National Championships

August 26th & 27th Elmo Trophy

September 1st RSGYC End of Season Race

October 14th Lift Out

Nov 18th & 19th ITRA National Championships

Featured Sailing School

INSS sidebutton

Featured Clubs

dbsc mainbutton
Howth Yacht Club
Kinsale Yacht Club
National Yacht Club
Royal Cork Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht club
Royal Saint George Yacht Club

Featured Brokers

leinster sidebutton

Featured Associations

ICRA
isora sidebutton

Featured Webcams

Featured Events 2023

https://afloat.ie/sail/events/dunlaoghaire-to-dingle

Featured Marinas

dlmarina sidebutton

Featured Chandleries

CHMarine Afloat logo
osm sidebutton
https://afloat.ie/resources/marine-industry-news/viking-marine

Featured Sailmakers

northsails sidebutton
uksails sidebutton
quantum sidebutton
watson sidebutton

Featured Blogs

W M Nixon - Sailing on Saturday
podcast sidebutton
BSB sidebutton
wavelengths sidebutton
 

Please show your support for Afloat by donating