Dublin Team Racing League Aims to Build on Elmo Cup Momentum

4th October 2017

Afloat.ie Team

College team racing in Firefly dinghies in Dun Laoghaire Harbour. A new Dublin Team Racing League aims to build on September's Elmo Cup momentum and bridge the gap to college team racing

The Dublin University Sailing Club is hosting the first of four Dublin Team Racing League Events in Dun Laoghaire this Saturday, 7th of October. As discussed at the ISA meeting earlier in the year, the goal of the League is to grow team racing in the Leinster region.

Although the league will be held in Dublin, anyone from around the country is welcome to enter a team regardless of age or ability. We are trying to develop sailors, jury and race organisers. These events should be seen as an opportunity for beginners and more advanced team racers to learn.

The League aims to build on last month's Elmo Cup momentum at the Royal St. George Yacht Club and bridge the gap to college team racing.

Teams will be selected to compete in the league on a first come first served basis. Teams can sign up by filling out this google form here.

The number of teams we can accommodate depends on the number of boats we can sail, so if there are fireflies available to use in your club that would benefit the league, please let us know. Any help with this league is greatly appreciated.

The League will run through the winter and should finish up around March/April. As addressed in the meeting earlier in the year, the main issue with team racing is that the majority of racing is done by college sailors who then spend the summers abroad. The idea behind this league is that once it finishes up early next year, the sailors and race organizers that have benefited from racing with us can continue to team race in a summer league. And the league can continue all year round, building year on year.

As the weekend after next is the first Event of the League, we will also be running a team racing talk next Wednesday evening in Trinity College. This talk will be free of charge and prepared and given by some of the sailors from its top team. It is an opportunity for sailors who are not heavily practiced team racers to bring their TR strategy up to speed prior to the first league event (this is also open to anyone who is interested, whether they are racing or not).

More information for the evening, event format, costs, and location will be available in the next couple of days. If you have any immediate questions about the event please contact: Jack Kennedy – [email protected] or Mark Bolger – [email protected]

Published in Team Racing

Tagged under

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

About Team Racing

Team racing in sailing is an exciting, strategy-focused format where two teams, usually with three boats each, compete to achieve the best combined score by the end of the race. Unlike fleet racing, where individual performance matters most, team racing emphasises teamwork, tactics, and boat positioning to outmanoeuvre the opposing team.

Each team typically has three boats, often two-person dinghies like the Firefly class. The boats from each team are distinguished by their unique sail colours or numbers.

Points are assigned to finishing positions, with 1 point for 1st place, 2 points for 2nd place, and so on. The team with the lowest combined score wins. The target is to achieve a "winning combination" of points. In a six-boat race (three per team), winning combinations include scores like 10 points or less for a 1-2-6 or a 2-3-5 finish.

Teams can slow down or block opposing boats, especially in an advantageous position. A boat ahead can "cover" an opponent, manoeuvring to block the wind and slow them down.

Teams often employ manoeuvres to help slower boats catch up or pass opponents, switching positions if needed. This keeps the team in a winning configuration.

At key turning points, boats can execute mark traps, where they intentionally slow down or position themselves to block opponents, forcing them into bad turns or causing them to lose speed.

Team racing follows standard sailing rules but with some additions tailored to team tactics. For example, a "fouling" boat (one that breaks a rule) must complete a penalty turn or even multiple turns, depending on the rule violation. Penalty management is crucial as it can make or break a team's success in the race.

Constant communication is key as team members coordinate strategies, adjust for wind shifts, and adapt to changes in the race. They signal intentions, warn of opponents' moves, and ensure every team member’s position is optimized.

In short, team racing combines fast-paced sailing with strategic teamwork. While speed is essential, winning often depends more on positioning, communication, and the ability to execute effective tactics as a team.