First race winner Paul O'Higgins in his JPK 10.80 Rockabill 10.80 will be on the line at 10.30 am for the second of six races in ISORA's Viking Marine Coastal Series on Saturday. 

A strong entry of 16 boats has been received with more light winds forecast.

In a show of strength for ISORA 's early start, Howth Yacht Club boats are among the fleet, including Simon Knowles' J109 Indian and Nigel Biggs and Dave Cullen's First 50 Checkmate along with Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom.

The 16-boat entry for ISORA's Viking Marine Coastal Series on Saturday from Dun Laoghaire

Organised by the National Yacht Club, the first three races in April constitute a new mini-series initiative by ISORA for 2023.

As regular Afloat readers know, the strong turnout of 12 boats for last Saturday's 30km Dun Laoghaire to Dun Laoghaire first race was confronted with very light winds for the early stage out of Dublin Bay and down the North Wicklow coast, but then conditions freshened considerably.

The race area for ISORA's second Viking Marine Coastal Series fixture on April 22nd

Race Two will be of similar length, and the early forecast says there will be light easterlies for the start at the Outfall buoy at the back of Dun Laoghaire's West Pier.

Race winning crew Conor O'Higgins from the JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI collects first prize from ISORA Chairman Peter Ryan at the National Yacht Club prizegiving held immediately after racing at Dun Laoghaire Photo: ISORA

Organisers have flagged Marine Notice No. 16 of 2023, which details the geotechnical investigation work at the Kish and Bray Banks for the Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm from 1 April 2023 and continues through to late May 2023.

Although ISORA's YB race tracker reports Royal Irish's Paul O'Higgins made the best of a tricky course along the Dublin and Wicklow coast in his JPK10.80 Rockabill VI in the first race of the Viking Marine ISORA Coastal Series on Saturday, official confirmation of the result is awaited. 

O'Higgins Rcokabill VI (left) and Pete Smyth's Sunfast 3600 Searcher shortly after the first Dun Laoghaire ISORA start of 2023 Photo: Afloat

A strong 12-boat entry, including some of ISORA's top performers, contested a 28-mile course that started in an ultra-light southerly but built as the fleet headed south in a four-hour race down to the North Wicklow coast and back.

The fleet included Howth boats, the First 50 Checkmate XX of Dave Cullen and Nigel Biggs, plus Simon Knowles J109 Indian, but Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom was a no-show.

The ISORA Class Two fleet started at 10 am under spinnaker off Dun Laoghaire Photo: Afloat

It is understood that organisers are working on resolving the results difficulties, but at the time of press, this was 'still to be resolved'.

The Dun Laoghaire – Dun Laoghaire race left the Moulditch Buoy off Greystones Harbour to port.

The ISORA Class Zero and One fleet started at 10.30 am in the lightest of winds Photo: Afloat

Update 16th April 11am: Rockabill VI confirmed as race winner

Royal Irish's Paul O'Higgins JPK10.80 Rockabill VI has been confirmed as the overall winner of the first of six races in the Viking Marine ISORA Coastal Series on Saturday.

There was a delay in processing results following the conclusion of the race on Saturday evening, with the final results confirmed by organisers early Sunday morning (See below).

Kieran Tarbett steers Paul O'Higgins' JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (above and below) to a race one victory in the Viking Marine ISORA Coastal Series on Saturday Photo: Maurice O'Connell

O'Higgins Rockabill VI, a past ISORA champion, beat another former Wolfs Head winner, Ben Shanahan's J109 Ruth, for the overall win. Simon Knowles and Colm Buckley's Indian J109 Crew from Howth were in third place.

Ben Shanahan's J109 crew Ruth from the National Yacht Club took second overall in the first ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Series race at Dun Laoghaire Photo: Afloat

The former ISORA champion won by just over two minutes on a corrected time of four hours 25 minutes and 21 seconds over a 28-mile course that started in an ultra-light southerly but built as the fleet headed south in a four-hour race down to the North Wicklow coast and back as Afloat reported earlier. 

A strong 12-boat entry, including some of ISORA's top performers, mustered for the 10 am start for a Dun Laoghaire – Dun Laoghaire race that left the Moulditch Buoy off Greystones Harbour to port.

ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Series Results Race One (Dun Laoghaire)

With an offshore season highlight being the 240-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race now just 52 days away, crews are making the most of the early season start to racing off the east coast.

First 50 Checkmate XX (Nigel Biggs) to windward of race winner Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins) and (right) the First 44.7 Tsunami (Michelle Farrell) Photo: Afloat

As Afloat previously reported, while the Irish coastal races are part of the overall six-race ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Series for the Vincent Farrell Trophy, the first three races – all in April – are also part of a separate mini-series.

Solo sailing Charlene Howard in AJ Wanderlust from Douglas Bay Yacht Club arrived overnight from the Isle of Man to contest the Dun Laoghaire ISORA race Photo: Afloat 

The first of six races in the Viking Marine ISORA Coastal Series has a 13-boat entry for Saturday morning's start for a Dun Laoghaire – Dun Laoghaire race that leaves the Moulditch Buoy off Greystones Harbour in County Wicklow to port.

Download the Sailing Instructions below

Top ISORA performers are entered for the first outing, including former champion Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI and two big Howth boats, the First 50 Checkmate XX of Dave Cullen and Nigel Biggs plus Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom.

With an offshore season highlight being the 240-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race now just 54 days away, crews are making the most of the early season start to racing off the east coast.

As Afloat previously reported, while the Irish coastal races are part of the overall six-race ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Series for the Vincent Farrell Trophy, the first three races – all in April – are also part of a separate mini-series.

The First 44.7, Black Magic Photo: Afloat

With ISORA regulars such as the First 44.7, Black Magic, the First 34.7 Black Velvet, the National Yacht Club Sunfast 3600s Hot Cookie and Searcher, plus Greystones First 34.7 Magic Touch all entered; the first race promises to be a great start to 20223 if they all come to the line.

The latest news on the potent canting keel Opal addition to the Irish offshore fleet is that the Elliott 57 will arrive in Ireland in mid-May.

The course for Saturday is as follows:

• Start at Dun Laoghaire outfall – usual start
• Muglins (S)
• Moulditch Buoy (P)
• East Kisk (P)
• Finish Between the Pier Heads – usual finish

The course for Saturday's first race of ISORA's 2023 Viking Marine Coastal Series off Dun Laoghaire Harbour Courtesy ISORA

Class 2 start at 10.00 and Class 0 and 1 start at 10.30. YB Trackers will be activated at 08.30

The first ISORA coastal race of 2023 will take place off Dun Laoghaire Harbour next Saturday morning (15th April).

The start is at 10.00 am. Class 2 will start 30 minutes before Class 0 and 1.

The race duration is planned to have every boat finished by 17.00.

A coastal race will also take place in Pwllheli on the same date for the Welsh ISORA fleet.

While the Irish coastal races are part of the overall six-race ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Series for the Vincent Farrell Trophy, the first three races – all in April – are part of a mini-series.

After every race in the National Yacht Club, there will be a prizegiving with a separate trophy for this month's mini-series.

There is no confirmation yet on whether the latest addition to the Irish Sea offshore fleet, the potent canting keel Opal, will compete in the opening fixture.

There were brisk conditions for last year's first race, as recalled in this 2022 photo gallery below

Entries can be made on the ISORA website

Tributes have been paid to ISORA stalwart Huw Tudor, who has died in his 89th year.

An estate agent by trade, Huw joined Pwllheli Sailing Club in 1967 as the owner of a small fishing boat named after his wife and daughter.

Within a decade he had ascended through the management ranks to become commodore of the north Wales club for the year 1977-78.

In the meantime Huw became an active ISORA racer along with his son Richard Tudor, going on to compete in several editions of the Fastnet Race and Round Ireland Race while also scoring high-profile wins at Cork Week, among many other achievements.

The Pwllheli Sailing Club website has much more HERE.

We have a great race schedule planned for 2023. It combines with many top-class regattas and includes several mini-series, writes ISORA Chairman Peter Ryan

Details can be found on the Musto ISORA website here

The online entry is now active. We would encourage boats that intend to participate to enter as soon as possible, as this will allow us to produce the class splits to ensure similar numbers of boats in each class.

The latest version of the 2023 ISORA Calendar

The series starts with the Viking Marine Coastal Race in Ireland and the Plas Heli Coastal Race in Wales, both on 15th April, followed by another two coastal races on the following weekends.

This season, in addition to the Viking Marine Coastal Race Series in Ireland and the Plas Heli Coastal Race Series in Wales, we plan to run a several mini-series that include specified races. The first mini series, the Irish and the Welsh Spring Series, includes the first three coastal races from Dun Laoghaire and Pwllheli. A trophy will be awarded for the overall winner and prizes will be awarded to overall Class winners, all in addition to the usual race trophies and prizes.

(Above and below) typical ISORA Coastal Race startlines at Dun Laoghaire under National Yacht Club Race Officers Barry MacNeaney (left) and Larry Power Photo: Afloat

There are also mini offshore series. The first offshore mini-series,  Dun Laoghaire – Pwllheli Double Offshore Series, includes the offshore race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli and then the return race, soon after. Similarly for the Offshore Weekend, the Northern Offshore Weekend Series, including the races from Holyhead to Strangford on the Friday evening, 11^th August, and the return race from Strangford to a gate in the Mid-Irish Sea finish, starting on the Sunday morning, 13^th August.

ISORA Series / Mini-Series List

• Wolfs Head Series – Any 5 best race results to count
• ISORA Series – All race results to count.
• Irish Coastal Series –4 best results from 6 race Irish Series to count
• Welsh Coastal Series – 4 best results from 6 Welsh Series to count.
• Irish Spring Series – All results from races 1, 2 & 3.
• Welsh Spring Series – All results from races 1, 2 & 3.
• Dun Laoghaire – Pwllheli Double Offshore Series – Results from Offshore Races 7 & 8.
• Northern Offshore Weekend Series – Results from Races 14 & 15.

The first Offshore challenge is a race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli on 6th May, in time for the IRC Welsh National Championships 12th to 14th May. Then a return race from Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire on 20th May.

Andrew Hall's J122 Jackknife ISORA racing off Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Afloat

We have again this year teamed up with other races in the Irish Sea and arranged the racing so that deliveries are minimised. This includes the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race and the Liverpool and RDYC Lyver Trophy Race.

In conjunction with ISORA, the Royal Dee Yacht Club are running the RDYC Irish Sea Offshore Championship again this year as part of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta (VDLR). This will include the Lyver Race and the four Coastal Races in the VDLR.

The weekend double offshore event is being run in conjunction with the Royal Ulster Yacht Club and Quoile Yacht Club.

ISORA's social side

While good and challenging racing is a must for offshore and coastal races, the social side of ISORA is equally important. It is the social side of the races that binds the fleet together and allow the crew to share experiences.

A social reception will be arranged the night before or immediately after each race whenever possible. Courses will be selected that, where possible, will allow all boats taking part in any race to partake in any post-race reception. The course for the Coastal races will be selected based on the weather information to get all boats finished in time to take part in the apres sail.

The 2023 ISORA season will finish with the annual prize-giving dinner dance in the National Yacht Club on the 11th of November

With the increasing exposure in the media of offshore racing, we are getting many requests from potential crew to take part in ISORA. We must encourage as many people to participate and have as many crew available for any race. Lack of crew is the most common cause of boats not participating in a race.

Although ISORA is totally voluntary and all entry fees go towards prizes, additional funds are now needed to run the ISORA YB trackers and promote the important social side of ISORA. While many of our sponsors from last year continue to sponsor ISORA, we need new sponsors for 2023. If you want to sponsor an ISORA race, please contact me (details below).

We are grateful for Musto, who sponsors the Overall ISORA Offshore Series, Viking Marine who is the sponsor for the Irish Coastal Series and Plas Heli, who is the sponsor of the Welsh /UK coastal Series. The full list of sponsors for 2023 will be published before the first race.

The season will finish with the annual prize-giving dinner dance in the National Yacht Club on the 11^th of November.

We look forward to meeting up again with all skippers and crew in 2023

Peter Ryan
ISORA Chairman
[email protected]

Today's ICRA conference at Dun Laoghaire heard from ISORA Chief Peter Ryan, who outlined his 2023 programme emphasising coastal racing. 

"Coastal racing is alive and kicking, and the best of it is in ISORA", he told the cruiser-racer gathering.

ISORA has finalised its 2023 racing schedule, reducing fixtures to avoid clashes with other events.

The programme released in draft form in Afloat here last November was built around a busy racing calendar and is aimed to provide a full series of coastal races in Ireland and Wales.

"It is difficult for crews to make long-term commitments over a season, so we have devised a number of mini-series to make participation easier," he said.

The Offshore Series has been designed to provide a challenging series with a variety of ports and a complexity of courses.

Ryan says the main influencing events which helped ISORA shape the final programme are:

• IRC Welsh Nationals Championships –12th to 14th May
• D2D Race – 7th June
• RDYC Offshore Championship / Lyver Race – 1st July
• VDLR – 6th to 9th July
• Greystones Regatta – 26th to 27th August
• ICRA Nationals – Howth – 8th to 10th September

The 2023 calendar still strongly emphasises its coastal series with six races on the Irish side of the Cross Channel.

A highlight of the year for the ISORA fleet will be June's Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race which has already attracted the Volvo 70, Wizard.

Ryan says that sailors can expect coastal races as part of July's VDLR, August's Greystones Regatta and the ICRA nationals in September too.

Ryan was speaking at the Royal St. George Yacht Club hosted ICRA Cruiser-Racer Conference at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, where key regatta organisers unveiled 2023 sailing season plans.

ISORA has finalised its 2023 racing schedule reducing the number of fixtures to avoid clashes with other events.

The programme released in draft form in Afloat here in November is built around a busy racing calendar and is aimed to provide a full series of coastal races in Ireland and Wales.

'We can’t fit any more ISORA races in without clashes', ISORA boss Peter Ryan told Afloat.

The 'Offshore Series has been designed to provide a challenging series with a variety of ports and a complexity of courses.

Ryan says the main influencing events which helped ISORA shape the final programme are:

• IRC Welsh Nationals Championships –12th to 14th May
• D2D Race – 7th June
• RDYC Offshore Championship / Lyver Race – 1st July
• VDLR – 6th to 9th July
• Greystones Regatta – 26th to 27th August
• ICRA Nationals – Howth – 1st to 3rd September

The 2023 calendar still strongly emphasises its coastal series with six races on the Irish side of the Cross Channel.

Ryan says that sailors can expect coastal races as part of July's VDLR, August's Greystones Regatta and the ICRA nationals in September too.

2023 ISORA Calendar

Download a pdf version of the calendar below

With no current record time established, could the IRC record course from Pwllheli in North Wales to Dun Laoghaire in Ireland have appeal for the high-speed fledgeling Cape 31 fleets now established on both sides of the Irish Sea?

ISORA Chief Peter Ryan, a promoter of the new challenge, seems to think so. "It might be attractive for the Cape 31s if they want to have a blast! It is also handy for any Irish Sea boat attempting it as it could be done in two days, including the delivery, Ryan says.

The Cape 31s have been taking the scene by storm since their arrival in Ireland earlier in 2022, clocking up high speeds in local Dublin Bay races, as Afloat previously reported here. 

Ryan reckons if a Cape could average ten knots for the voyage, a new record time could realistically be 7.5 hours or lower.

The historic course, raced by ISORA for decades as the ‘James Eadie Race’, is a coastal leg followed by open sea across to Ireland.

New challenge, old course: The 75-mile IRC record course from Pwllheli in North Wales to Dun Laoghaire on the south shore of Dublin Bay, Ireland

The new challenge is part of a new concept to the world of sailing records, ‘Corrected Time Records’, that allows boats of different shapes and sizes to compete on a level playing field.  

Ryan told Afloat: "Boats attempting this record bid will have to get time and wind right as they will have to deal with the tides and sea conditions at Bardsey Sound".

ISORA's Peter Ryan - promoting Irish Sea record challenges

The aim of IRC Records is to re-create the thrill of making and breaking records. Corrected Time Records allows yacht owners to compete with their own equipment lowering the barrier to entry.

"For decades the setting of records in the world of sailing has been mainly reserved for adventurers, pioneers, designers, eccentrics and the elite, usually requiring specific boat designs optimised for a single purpose, IRC Records state 

Launching with the world-renowned ‘International Rating Certificate System’ (IRC), IRCRecords.com™ provides the platform to enable Corrected Time Records, with attempts calculated from a boat’s elapsed time on the course and their measured  ‘handicap’   the boat’s IRC TCC figure, say IRC Records.

"We will be able to supply the YB tracker to any boat that may consider this challenge. We may also be able to supply a starter in Pwllheli," Ryan says.