Four Star Pizza Elmo Trophy Celebrates 10th Edition This Weekend at RStGYC

4th September 2025

Afloat.ie Team

Sponsors Four Star Pizza have supplied a new suit of branded sails for the Elmo Trophy Fireflies at the Royal St. George Yacht Club

This year's Elmo trophy, sponsored by Four Star Pizza, is set for its 10th edition in Dun Laoghaire Harbour this weekend. 36 team racing teams are set to battle it out in what looks to be a very fresh Southerly forecast. Last year's winners the Rutland Raiders from the UK are back to defend their title with many strong Irish teams set to challenge.

PRO Jack Fahy will aim to start racing on Saturday at 10:30 with the traditional starboard S-shaped course laid in the harbour. 6 flights of boats will be used, potentially enabling 12 teams to be racing on the one course at the same time. Without doubt the Elmo trophy is now a serious logistical challenge with 50+ volunteers required to deliver up to 200 races before a champion is named.

A theme for this year is the strong volunteer support from Elmo graduates with, for example many of the Umpire team being past participants. The event will debut exciting new software for team racing designed and built by one of last year's grads, Russell Bolger. This new system will leverage 2025 tech with mobile notifications and even a chance to vote for the best team name some of the new additional functionality.

Sponsors Four Star Pizza have supplied a new suit of branded sails for the event, as well as supplying Hot Pizzas for lunch to help keep both sailors and volunteers fueled up. As always the event dinner on Saturday night will be a key aspect with the Royal Saint George catering for 250 meals in a fully packed dining room, formal bar and balcony! Karaoke will make a first Elmo appearance which will be interesting.

New teams and clubs continue to emerge as team racing continues to grow around the country. Two teams from Greystones and one from Waterford are set to make their Elmo debuts. Aside from the Rutland Raiders, last years runners up the Schull Sharks are tipped for success with Prestige Worldwide 2 and Knotorious also expected to challenge. But with 36 teams, 6 with the word knot in the title and the possibility of a weather curtailed series, picking a winner could leave anyone tangled up.

Published in Team Racing, RStGYC

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.