Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta - Overall
by Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 12 Jul 2015 22:17 BST
9-12 July 2015
Home boats make for local success
Titles decided at Ireland's biggest sailing event
Ireland's biggest sailing event, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, has come to a close today after an exciting four days of racing in Dublin Bay with over 400 boats and almost 3,000 sailors competing.
Dublin Yacht Club's shared the bulk of the overall prizes, awarded this afternoon at the official prize giving in the National Yacht Club, winning 22 of the 29 classes including the coveted 'Boat of the Week' Trophy.
George Sisk's Farr 42 WOW from the Royal Irish Yacht Club was named top boat after winning three of four challenging IRC coastal races in a 25–boat offshore fleet.
Regatta Chairman Tim Goodbody's reminder that 'Volvo Dun Laoghaire is a fun regatta, not a championship' did little to stem the fierce competition for the coveted Volvo prizes in 29 classes as the last race of the event concluded in the lightest winds of the series.
In a summer of achievements for veteran campaigner George Sisk, his Volvo trophy follows IRC National Championship victory in Kinsale last month. The premier award for top visiting boat went to Scottish Sigma 33 Alan Harper sailing Leaky Roof 2. The best IRC yacht award went to Paul Colton's quarter tonner Cri-Cri from the Royal Irish. The best one design keelboat award went to the Ruffian 23 Diane II skippered by Chris Helme of the Royal St. George YC.
Three national championship titles were decided as part of the regatta programme. Royal Irish Yacht club's (John Maybury) took the 11-boat J109 Irish title and the Clyde Cruising Club entry, Leaky Roof 2 won the Sigma 33 championships. The Beneteau 21 title went to Séamus Storan's Capilano of the Royal Irish Yacht Club in a 13-boat fleet.
The biennial regatta is being hailed an enormous success both afloat and ashore for a combined fleet of 415 boats, the biggest on the Irish Sea. Over 250 races on five different courses were staged in a range of light to very heavy conditions since racing began last Thursday.
Although 180 visiting boats made up nearly half the fleet, yachts from outside the bay area took away only seven trophies. The bulk of the silverware, 16 titles, have stayed on Dun Laoghaire's waterfront.
Trophies were awarded in each of the 29 competing classes this afternoon, bringing the curtain down on one of the most successful staging's of Ireland's biggest sailing event.
Scotland's Clyde Cruising Club took a win in the Sigma 33 class. Howth Yacht Club also took wins in IRC three, the Howth 17s, J24s and the Water Wags but outside of that there was only single wins for Belfast Lough in the RS Elite, Rush Sailing Club in the J109s. Cullaun Sailing Club in County Clare won the Wayfarers.
In Dun Laoghaire, the Royal St. George YC topped the leaderboard winning seven classes of one designs from Beneteau 31.7 keelboats to GP14 dinghies. The Royal Irish also had seven across IRC and one design: IRC One, IRC Four, J109, White Sails Two, Dragon, Beneteau 21 and Mermaid. The National Yacht Club had five victories; White Sails one, Flying Fifteen, SB20, Shipman and Moth.
The next Dun Laoghaire regatta will be held mid–July 2017.
Overall Results: (full results at www.dlregatta.org)
IRC CLASS 0
1. Jump Juice (C Phelan)
2. Auora (R Stuart / B Ram)
3. Forty Licks (J Colville)
IRC CLASS 1
1. Rockabill V (P O'Higgins)
2. Gringo (T Fox)
3. Impostor (R Fildes)
IRC CLASS 2
1. Harmony (J Swan)
2. Injenious (M & G Crompton & Hallworth)
3. Checkmate XV (D Cullen)
IRC CLASS 3
1. Dux (A Gore-Grimes)
2. Maximus (P Kyne)
3. Evenflow (S Cranston)
IRC CLASS 4
1. Cri Cri (P Colton)
2. Starflash (A Morrison & J Simms)
3. Bambi (R Harding)
IRC Offshore
1. WOW (G Sisk)
2. Aquelina (S & J Tyrell)
3. Freya (C Doyle)
J109
1. Joker 2 (J Maybury)
2. Storm (P Kelly)
3. Jalapeno (Barrington & B Philips)
SIGMA 33
1. Leaky Roof 2 (A Harper)
2. Squawk (P Prentice)
3. White Mischief (P McCarthy)
For more information see www.dlregatta.org or find Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Facebook and Twitter.