New Year, New Racing Season at Howth Yacht Club
by Neil Murphy 6 Jan 07:25 GMT
1 January 2026
New Year's Day morning saw the dinghy and keelboat fleets afloat at Howth Yacht Club in Dublin, Ireland as the hardier sailors took the opportunity to get the 2026 racing season under way.
Brilliant sunshine helped distract from the low single-digit temperatures, and for the dinghy sailors, the equally cold sea made keeping the rig over the hull—and avoiding the first swim of the year—particularly important.
The local RNLI benefitted from the keelboat race, with a seven-boat fleet ranging from a J/24 to a First 48 completing two laps of Ireland's Eye before adjourning to the Club Bar for warmth and the prize-giving. Scratch boat Pretty Polly, skippered by Chris Horrigan, took first place, followed by Amuse II (Jenny and Niall O'Leary) in second and Malahide YC's J/24 Battling J in third.
On the dinghy course, fourteen boats raced on handicap in a lively breeze ranging from 10 to 24 knots. The ILCAs, IDRA 14s, Melges 15s, and RS Aeros had plenty of opportunities to compare upwind and downwind performance during the three-lap triangular race. Daragh Sheridan (RS Aero 6) and Ronan MacDonell / Eoin Kernan (Melges 15) swapped the lead multiple times, but Daragh held it on the final reach to take line honours. On corrected time, he secured victory by 26 seconds over Peter Hassett (ILCA 6), with Dave Kirwan (ILCA 6) just 15 seconds further back.
The IDRA 14s were the largest contingent, enjoying tight Class racing before current National Champion Ryan Cairns opened his 2026 season with Alan Carr just behind him. Conor Murphy was first among the ILCA 7s, while Florence Butler topped the ILCA 4s.
With the Christmas cobwebs now blown away, both fleets can look forward to the rest of the winter sailing season.
The Dinghy Frostbite Spring Series continues in Howth every Sunday until the Round the Island extravaganza concludes on Saturday, March 7th.
The keelboat fleet takes a three-week break before the Brass Monkeys Spring Series resumes on January 25th.
All details on HYC.ie