Displaying items by tag: Royal North of Ireland YC

13th November 2023

Kennedy and Kane Produce the Goods on Day Two of RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland YC

Week two of the RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland YC series on Belfast Lough arrived dank and dismal on Sunday with light rain and a forecast including 29-knot gusts; what a contrast to the previous bright and sunny weekend, which had seen the return of Bob Espey into the class, notching two bullets but with the overall lead being taken by cousins Ross and Andrew Vaughan. The forecast likely put off a few potential players as only 15 boats out of the 25 entered reached the start line.

In fact, the wind strength had dropped considerably in the hour before the scheduled start, although still from the southeast, meaning that the breeze was diminished by the Holywood hills, leaving anything from 5-18 kts with direction varying around 40 degrees in short-lived gusts tumbling down over the trees. Carrickfergus SC, on the north side of Belfast Lough, had been forced to cancel their racing, facing the full force of the southerly breeze.

Andrew Vaughan was now the helmsman in his boat – cousin Ross, unable to make it this weekend, had suggested that he headhunt a “top helm” to make sure that their good start in the series was consolidated, but Andrew answered in the best way possible, scoring another 2,3,4 for the day, the same as with Ross at the back of the boat the week before!

15 boats out of the 25 entered for the RS400 Winter Series at Royal North of Ireland YC contested the second Sunday of racing Photo: Calum Dalzell

Peter Kennedy and Stephen Kane had fared badly last week and decided the answer to an OCS and RET was to cheer themselves up with a new (one-year-old) boat!

Setting a start and first beat was a challenge for any race officer, with Gerry Reid finding a mean direction for both and settling for that; there was a big left shift 30 seconds before the first start with several boats trapped too low and unable to cross the line, leaving Jocelyn Hill and Rowan Berry to tack onto port at the pin and sail into a comfortable lead at the first mark; however they were hunted down by Tom Purdon and Olivia Hayes who found a nice shift and gust down the last run to sneak past them at the last mark and take the first gun, also his maiden win since his first appearance at the RNIYC winter event. Liam Donnelly and Rick McCaig did something they hadn’t managed for many years and rolled in for a swim, nosediving after a gybe into an unyielding wave.

There was controversy at the start of the second with race officer Reid rolling into the 3-minute start sequence – after his capsize, Donnelly was heading up the short last beat when the three sticks appeared, with half of the fleet still catching breath after the first race; again it was Hill who was most alert and took the lead after the start. Kennedy was close behind, and they swapped the lead over the next couple of legs, with Vaughan also getting past Hill on the last downwind after he took a brave foray to the left-hand corner and found a long-lasting gust to move him up to second behind Kennedy.

The last race marked the return of Donnelly – the fleet might have stopped to applaud his perfect port tack start at the pin, as he raced into a big lead up the first beat, only to ruin it by getting his legs tangled in rope on the last tack, getting stuck in irons and letting three boats past. Kennedy was there to capitalize, and he stretched into a safe lead over the next few legs; Purdon was in second to complete an excellent 1,2,6 result for the day.

Three races were completed in tough conditions for competitors and race management alike.

RS400 Winter Series - Daily Results for 12 Nov 2023

Published in RS Sailing

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28th September 2023

GP14s Gather at Royal North for Autumn 'Hot Toddy' Event on Belfast Lough

The first of the annual GP14 Hot Toddy events listed in the class calendar will be held this weekend (30th September -1st October) at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough.

The event originates at East Antrim Boat Club on Larne Lough, but the meet is now hosted by various sailing clubs throughout Ireland.

This year, the organisers are expecting around 30 GP14s. Apart from the Royal North home fleet, visitors are expected from Sutton, Blessington, Howth, Moville, Lough Erne, and Strangford Lough, and at least one boat is making the trip from England.

This will be a highly competitive fleet, with some of the resident boats on home waters expected to do well. However, given the quality of the visitors attending, they will have a tough task.

Six races are scheduled, with three races each day, and the current weather forecast is favourable for both days. Bushmills sponsor the event.

Published in GP14

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16th May 2015

Squibs Gather at Royal North of Ireland YC

#squib – The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club hosts the Squib Northern Irish Championship on the weekend of the 30/31 May 2015. The Championship will see entries from all the squib fleets from around Ireland with Royal North having the largest fleet of Squibs in the north. David Eccles on Inshallah will be competing to retain his title against past winners including John Driscoll on Aficionado, Gordon Patterson on Quickstep 111 and current Irish National Squib champion Ross Vaughan on Joint Venture. Commodore Thomas Anderson said " I am delighted to see the Irish Squib Class are coming back to RNIYC for the Rodgers and Browne Northern Irish Championship and to welcoming visitors from Strangford Lough, Dublin Bay and possibly Cork"

Published in Squib

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1st August 2011

Squib National title stays in the North

Ross Nolan and Gordon Patterson from the Royal North of Ireland YC are the new Squib National Champions, winning the title at Howth Yacht Club by five points in a 7-race series (sponsored by SIAC Construction) in which they were consistently in the top three of the 37-boat fleet. Photos here.

Sailing ‘Quickstep III’, the Cultra duo took the trophy ahead of clubmates David Eccles and Philip Hutchinson in ‘Inshallah’ while a strong performance from Howth’s Fergus O’Kelly and Jonathan Wormald in ‘Whipper Snapper’ was rewarded with 3^rd overall.

In stark contrast to the heavy conditions of the second day, the final race was delayed for over an hour until there was sufficient wind to start. Race Officer Derek Bothwell was later obliged to shorten the race which was won by the eventual series runners-up.

Another RNIYC boat, ‘Born Wild’ (T&J Anderson) was second with O’Kelly/Wormald in third but 5^th for ‘Quickstep III’ was more than enough to see Nolan and Patterson deservedly top the series.

Howth’s Jonathan Craig and Hazel Ruane in ‘Kerfuffle’ will be well satisfied with 4^th overall, a point ahead of defending champions Peter Wallace and Kerry Boomer in ‘Toy for the boys’ from Cultra.

SIAC Construction Irish Squib Championships at HYC – overall results:

Quickstep III Ross Nolan/Gordon Patterson - RNIYC 14pts
Inshallah David Eccles/Philip Hutchinson - RNIYC 19pts
Whipper Snapper Fergus O’Kelly/Jonathan Wormald - HYC 21pts
Kerfuffle Jonathan Craig/Hazel Ruane - HYC 26pts
Toy for the Boys Peter Wallace/Kerry Boomer - RNIYC 27pts
Sensation Marcus & Meagan Hutchinson - KYC 37pts

Published in Sigma

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5th November 2010

Murphy Heading for Australian Regatta

The National Yacht Club's Annalise Murphy (Laser Radial) travelled to Australia last weekend for the Perth International Regatta http://www.perth2011.com/ which starts on the 16th of this month. The aim is to gain valuable experience at the venue which will host the December 2011 ISAF World Championships and which will be a vital qualifying event for the the 2012 London Olympic games.

Also heading for Perth is the Royal St. George's Ben Lynch in the high speed 49er dinghy.

After Perth, Annalise travels to Melbourne for the season's first ISAF World Cup event which will be run from Sandringham Yacht Club from 12-19th December. Annalise is currently ranked 20th Womens Laser Radial sailor and 1st under 21 in the World and is campaigning full time to represent Ireland in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Top youth Laser Radial Sailor Ross Vaughan from the Royal North of Ireland YC has gone down as a training partner for Annalise together with her coach Rory Fitzpatrick.

Also taking part in the Perth Regatta are Irish 49er team of Ryan Seaton and Matt Mc Govern (Ballyholme YC) and Ross Hamilton from the RIYC, Dun Laoghaire.

Published in Olympics 2012

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.