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Displaying items by tag: Lyver Race

Saturday's Lyver Trophy Race Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire Offshore Race marks the arrival of competitors from across the Irish Sea for next week's big one, the 350-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

With a declared entry of 18 boats, the weekend fleet includes the reigning ISORA champion, the J109 Mojito from Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales.

The race starts at 9 am, and early forecasts indicate strong westerly winds for a windward leg across the Irish Sea, with the final course to be confirmed on Friday.

The JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club Photo: AfloatThe JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club Photo: Afloat

In collaboration with Irish Sea clubs, the race is organised by Liverpool Yacht Club & Royal Dee Yacht Club with the assistance of the National Yacht Club and the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA).

The race counts as race 12 of the 2023 Musto ISORA Offshore Race series and the Royal Dee Offshore Championship Series.

Entries for the RORC Lyver RaceEntries for the RORC Lyver Race

As ISORA's Peter Ryan explains, "The race is also the first of five races in the Royal Dee Offshore Championship series, with the four coastal races in next week's VDLR".

The race is a qualifying race for August's Fastnet Race. Winners will be eligible for RORC medallions.

"As well as the Lyver Trophy, the winner will be presented with an ISORA trophy. The prizegiving is to take place at the ISORA dinner in November, Ryan told Afloat.

The National Yacht Club's Sunfast 3600 Searcher Photo: AfloatThe National Yacht Club's Sunfast 3600 Searcher Photo: Afloat

"Separate entries are not required for the Championship series. As there will be no discards, the boats that compete in all five races are the only boats that can win. The winner of the series will receive a trophy at the VDLR prizegiving. RDYC prizes will be presented to 2nd and 3rd place in the series", he says.

Alan Hannon's Coquine after rounding the Ailsa Craig, is an entry in the Lyver race. Photo: Hammy BakerAlan Hannon's Coquine after rounding the Ailsa Craig, is an entry in the Lyver race. Photo: Hammy Baker

"There are no day prizes in the VDLR, but as part of the RDYC offshore series, there will be day-class prizes for boats in the VDLR coastal class. These will be presented every evening in the NYC, " Ryan adds.

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The Commodore of the Royal Dee Yacht Club, Alastair Soane, has announced that “Jack Ryan Whiskey” is to sponsor the Royal Dee Yacht Club Irish Sea Offshore Championship that starts with the “Lyver Race” from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire this Friday, 30th June 2017 with two J109s vying for the ISORA series lead.

Heading into the Lyver Race, the seventh race in the ISORA series, “Mojito” is leading the series ahead of “Jedi” by approximately 50 points. While these two boats appear to be well ahead of the remainder of the fleet, the high scoring system, when taken with discards and race weightings, can make dramatic changes to the positions. The Lyver Race carries a weighting of 1.3, the highest weighting of any race in the series and therefore will have a significant effect on the scoring.

Jedi J109 LyverJedi, the INSS Sailing School J109 entry is second overall in ISORA Photo: Afloat.ie

Nine of the twelve leading boats will be taking part in the Lyver race. However, many of them will be heading south later in the season to take part in the Fastnet Race and will not be competing in the later races. All is left to fight for and things will be a lot clearer on Saturday evening.

The ISORA Championship consist of the cumulative results from five offshore and coastal races, the Lyver Race and the four coastal races in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As there are no discards, the championship is open to all boats taking part in these races.

Prize giving will take place after each race for all class winners in both IRC and ECHO and Overall prizes will take place at the VDLR Main prize giving in the RStGYC.

Jack Ryan whiskey

Jack Ryan Whiskey, the family-owned independent finisher and bottler of premium Single Malt Irish Whiskey, won a Gold medal for their 12 Year Old, and recently a Silver medal for The Bourdega 15 Year Old - at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The whiskey is also associated with the famous Ryan’s Beggars Bush public house in Haddington Road, Dublin and. as regular readers will no doubt be aware there are strong connections to a leading ISORA sailor too. 

For more information on this whiskey brand click here.

Published in ISORA
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Dublin Bay

Dublin Bay on the east coast of Ireland stretches over seven kilometres, from Howth Head on its northern tip to Dalkey Island in the south. It's a place most Dubliners simply take for granted, and one of the capital's least visited places. But there's more going on out there than you'd imagine.

The biggest boating centre is at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the Bay's south shore that is home to over 1,500 pleasure craft, four waterfront yacht clubs and Ireland's largest marina.

The bay is rather shallow with many sandbanks and rocky outcrops, and was notorious in the past for shipwrecks, especially when the wind was from the east. Until modern times, many ships and their passengers were lost along the treacherous coastline from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, less than a kilometre from shore.

The Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea and is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south. North Bull Island is situated in the northwest part of the bay, where one of two major inshore sandbanks lie, and features a 5 km long sandy beach, Dollymount Strand, fronting an internationally recognised wildfowl reserve. Many of the rivers of Dublin reach the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay: the River Liffey, with the River Dodder flow received less than 1 km inland, River Tolka, and various smaller rivers and streams.

Dublin Bay FAQs

There are approximately ten beaches and bathing spots around Dublin Bay: Dollymount Strand; Forty Foot Bathing Place; Half Moon bathing spot; Merrion Strand; Bull Wall; Sandycove Beach; Sandymount Strand; Seapoint; Shelley Banks; Sutton, Burrow Beach

There are slipways on the north side of Dublin Bay at Clontarf, Sutton and on the southside at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, and in Dalkey at Coliemore and Bulloch Harbours.

Dublin Bay is administered by a number of Government Departments, three local authorities and several statutory agencies. Dublin Port Company is in charge of navigation on the Bay.

Dublin Bay is approximately 70 sq kilometres or 7,000 hectares. The Bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and seven km in length east-west to its peak at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the southside of the Bay has an East and West Pier, each one kilometre long; this is one of the largest human-made harbours in the world. There also piers or walls at the entrance to the River Liffey at Dublin city known as the Great North and South Walls. Other harbours on the Bay include Bulloch Harbour and Coliemore Harbours both at Dalkey.

There are two marinas on Dublin Bay. Ireland's largest marina with over 800 berths is on the southern shore at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The other is at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey close to Dublin City.

Car and passenger Ferries operate from Dublin Port to the UK, Isle of Man and France. A passenger ferry operates from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to Howth as well as providing tourist voyages around the bay.

Dublin Bay has two Islands. Bull Island at Clontarf and Dalkey Island on the southern shore of the Bay.

The River Liffey flows through Dublin city and into the Bay. Its tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

Dollymount, Burrow and Seapoint beaches

Approximately 1,500 boats from small dinghies to motorboats to ocean-going yachts. The vast majority, over 1,000, are moored at Dun Laoghaire Harbour which is Ireland's boating capital.

In 1981, UNESCO recognised the importance of Dublin Bay by designating North Bull Island as a Biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development, UNESCO’s concept of a Biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but also the areas around them and the communities that live and work within these areas. There have since been additional international and national designations, covering much of Dublin Bay, to ensure the protection of its water quality and biodiversity. To fulfil these broader management aims for the ecosystem, the Biosphere was expanded in 2015. The Biosphere now covers Dublin Bay, reflecting its significant environmental, economic, cultural and tourism importance, and extends to over 300km² to include the bay, the shore and nearby residential areas.

On the Southside at Dun Laoghaire, there is the National Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as Dublin Bay Sailing Club. In the city centre, there is Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club. On the Northside of Dublin, there is Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club and Sutton Dinghy Club. While not on Dublin Bay, Howth Yacht Club is the major north Dublin Sailing centre.

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