Kinsale Yacht Club's October/November White Sails series has six boats entered in the IRC 1 fleet where the leader is Anthony O'Brien's White Tiger, with Meridian (Thomas Roche) second and Valfreya (M.Leonard/D.Riome) third. The IRC 2 leader is Patrick Beckett's, Miss Charlie.

ECHO 1 fleet has eleven entries and is also led by White Tiger with Nadie (Stephen McCarthy) second and Meridian third.

ECHO 2 has nine entries, the leader is Martin Hargrove's Deboah, second Miss Charlie and third Atlantis II (Ted Power).

Racing will continue until November 14 with First Gun each day at 1355.

Kinsale Yacht Club plans for an Under 25 sailing team are progressing in West Cork. 

The plan is to acquire a suitable yacht (most likely a J/24) that will compete on the under 25 keelboat circuit around Ireland.

It follows expressions of interest and 'considerable support' from many KYC members.

Ten U25 sailors (5 male and 5 female) under the leadership of Team Captain Mikey Carroll are already putting their own fundraising plans in place to finance the team, according to former KYC Commodore Dave Sullivan, who is the U25 Team Mentor.

As Afloat reported previously, Skerries Sailing Club in north Dublin recently purchased J/24s for a similar purpose.

The Laser End of Season regatta sponsored by Matthews of Cork concluded at Kinsale Yacht Club yesterday with Munster sailors taking the prizes in each of the three rig divisions after four races sailed in the 63-boat fleet. 

The PRO, John Stallard, who successfully complete the Saturday schedule cancelled Sunday racing due to weather forecasts.

Kinsale Yacht Club's own Micheal O'Suilleabhain was the winner of the 11-boat standard division. O'Suilleabhain was two points clear of Paddy Cunnane from Tralee Bay. Kinsale's George Kingston was third, four points behind Cunnane.

In the 24-boat Radial fleet, Royal Cork's Michael Crosbie was four points clear at the top from Royal St George YC's Fiachra McDonnell. RCYC's Jonathan O'Shaughnessy was third.

In the biggest fleet of the end of season regatta, 4.7 Youth helmswoman Eimer McMorrow Moriarty of Tralee Bay Sailing Club beat Christian Ennis of the National YC. Mauro Noguerol of RCYC was third. 

The results are here

Neil Hegarty, Peter Bowring and David Williams in Phantom held on to the overall lead during Day three of the O'Leary Life Irish Dragon National Championships.

14 knots of easterly wind and a reduced swell made for near-perfect sailing conditions.

The Royal St. George Phantom was caught OCS in race 5, restarted, and sailed a tactically perfect race to come second. Local boat Ghost took the lead on the first run by coming down the right-hand side of the course. They held on to the lead to take first. Serafina with the Murphy brothers and Brian Goggin secured third.

Race 6 started with slightly lighter winds of 8 – 10 knots. Serafina and Little Fella were jockeying for first place; Serafina held them off and took line honours. Phantom and Ghost were tick tacking for third – Ghost got ahead, leaving Phantom in fourth.
Nothing is certain in the top four places, so the Irish National Dragon Champion 2021 and second and third will be decided in the final race. Testament to the close racing enjoyed over the last three days.

Click here for results. See photo galleries here and day two here

Local ace Cameron Good leads a fleet of 15 after day one of the O’Leary Life Irish Dragon Championship at Kinsale Yacht Club.

Race 1 got underway with an easterly wind blowing 16 – 18 knots and a 2-metre swell making for heavy conditions.

The local KYC fleet dominated from the off with TBD, James Matthews KYC, in the lead followed closely by Little Fella, Cameron Good KYC, hot on their heels. Serafina, Brian Goggin KYC, was 3rd with a newcomer to the fleet, Ghost, Colm Dunne in 4th.

Aphrodite from Glandore Harbour Sailing Club retired following a MOB incident with the crew recovered safe and well.

Race 2 and TBD was pushing the line at the start resulting in them being OCS and by the time they were able to return to restart they had lost a lot of time. However, they managed to catch the fleet and ended up with a 9th. Phantom, Neil Hegarty RStGYC, had a good start and stayed ahead of Little Fella to take line honours, Little Fella was 2nd, Ghost was 3rd and Serafina 4th.

Today ended with Little Fella lying in first place with 4 points, Phantom has 6 and Serafina and Ghost each have 7.

The heavy conditions suited some boats today, but it is early in the championship and there are lighter conditions forecast for tomorrow which may suit more of the fleet.

Results are here 

Dragon Nationals Photo Gallery Day One By Bob Bateman

It was a one, two overall for the J109 design in this weekend's Kinsale Yacht Club SCORA Fastnet Race. 

Royal Cork yacht Jelly Baby claimed a victory in a corrected time of 21 hours:13 minutes: 26 seconds from the host club's Artful Dodger (Finbarr O'Regan) on 21:24:34 corrected in a race that was shortened due to light winds.

The defending champion Nieulargo, a Grand Soleil 40, finished third on a corrected time of 21:36:02

Artful DodJer (IRL1713) from Kinsale Yacht Club skippered by Finbarr O'Regan Photo: Bob Bateman

As Afloat reported yesterday, after a well-timed postponement the nine-boat Kinsale Yacht Club SCORA Fastnet Race got away in a great breeze at 10 am on Saturday morning for its annual offshore race.

Royal Cork's Nieulargo (IRL2129) skippered by Denis Murphy Photo: Bob Bateman

The fleet, sponsored by UK Sailmakers Ireland, rounded the much closer Kowloon Bridge south cardinal buoy instead of the Fastnet rock.

Full results are here

Bob Bateman's Kinsale/SCORA Fastnet Race Photo Gallery

Kinsale Yacht Club is hosting the Squib South Coast Championships this weekend.

Racing on Saturday and Sunday will be between the Old Head and the Sovereign Islands of Kinsale Harbour.

As Afloat reported previously, the Squib Northern Championships on Belfast Lough was won last month by locals Greg Bell and Jayne Kearney in Prodigal who stamped their authority on the 17 strong fleet.

Meanwhile, the Squibs Summer Series at Kinsale YC has ten boats racing and is being led by Michael O'Sullivan's Mucky Duck on 16 points, followed by Bobby Nash and Dave Ross in Flora on 22 and Kevin Downing's Grey Matter on 30.

Due to the light winds forecast for Friday night, Kinsale Yacht Club has postponed the SCORA Kinsale Fastnet race until Saturday morning. 

Sailing secretary David Cullinane told Afloat "We have decided to postpone until Saturday 17th July. First Gun will be 10:55"

As Afloat reported previously, Kinsale has increased interest in the UK Sailmakers sponsored event this year with boats from Dublin, Waterford as well as the Cork clubs taking part.

Kinsale Yacht Club has increased interest in this weekend's Fastnet race in association with SCORA Photo: Bob Bateman

The arrival of two Half Tonners into the fleet, namely George Radley's Cortegada and Ronan Downing’s Miss Whiplash, will add extra spice to Saturday's race against some of the larger cruiser racers, especially if the forecasted light winds prevail.

The latest KYC amendment is detailed here

South coast J109 sisterships Artful Dodjer (above) and Jelly Baby (below) are both racing round the Fastnet Rock this Saturday

An estimated fleet of ten boats is contemplating a light air forecast for Friday evening's SCORA Kinsale Yacht Club Fastnet Race.

Sponsored by UK Sailmakers Ireland, the fleet includes the on form host club J109 entry of Artful Dodjer (Finnbarr O'Regan). 

Update: The race has been postponed to Saturday. Read more here

Forecasts are for south easterlies at only 3-5 knots at 7.25 pm start time, a big change on last year's race that started in much stronger winds as Afloat reported here.  

2020 winner - the Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo (Denis and Annamarie Murphy Photo: Bob Bateman

Also lining up for what looks like it will be a slow race, are Cian McCarthy's Sunfast 300 Cinnamon Girl, the J/109 Jelly Baby (Brian Jones) from Royal Cork.

Last year's winner the Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo (Denis and Annamarie Murphy) is also entered along with the Grand Soleil 34 Justina (John Treanor ) from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour as well as other cruiser racers, Reavra Too, White Tiger, Valfreya and Flyover from Dunmore East in County Waterford.

Download the NOR for the Kinsale Fastnet Race (with amendment) below

Sovereign's Cup competitors can expect a mix of light to medium conditions over the next four days at Kinsale Yacht Club tempting pundits to predict that it might be the all-round performance of cruiser-racers types such as the J109 (that make up 15% of the fleet) that might come out on top by Saturday.

Light winds for this morning's opening day of the O'Leary Life & Pensions Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club looks like a tricky scenario but fresher conditions with sun and breeze from Thursday offer the prospect of some 'champagne sailing' for the fleet of 62 boats now gathered in the West Cork port. 

As Afloat reported previously, the event is split across five divisions with the biggest boats competing in the Coastal series which also features the biggest turnout.

In the Sovereign's Cup offshore line-up is Denis and Annamarie Murphy's Champion Grand Soleil Nieulargo from the Royal Cork Yacht Club

Included in the offshore line-up is Denis and Annamarie Murphy's Nieulargo from the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven and Kinsale's own Conor Doyle on Freya. George Sisk's WOW! from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is also back as one of the original entries for this course.

George Sisk's WOW! from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is competing in this week's Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club 

The four-day series is being staged at nearly half its normal size due to the Covid-19 pandemic and no indoor activities have been organised with restrictions on numbers ashore in place. Overseas entries are unable to attend due to travel restrictions.

"While we are unable to have festival conditions ashore this year, there's still a mood of celebration as we're all set for great racing afloat," commented Anthony O'Neill, Regatta Director at Kinsale Yacht Club. "The competitors have closely followed the Covid guidelines and our precautions have been widely welcomed; people just want to get out sailing at last."

The four-day O'Leary Insurance Group Sovereign's Cup is the first of the regular Irish regattas on the national fixtures list to resume.